In a blink of an eye, it is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Three days before and after the Lantern Festival, lights were lit all night long in Chang'an City. Scholars and commoners celebrated together, and the Imperial Guards did not stop them. It was the most lively and auspicious time of the year.
After New Year's Day, Huanxuan was busy traveling between the palace, the royal residence, and the military department. He only came to Shanchiyuan twice. One time was in the middle of the night, and he was so tired that he fell asleep immediately, and went to court before dawn the next day. Another time he didn't even stay up all night. He just had lunch with Sui Sui and then went to the princess's residence for a banquet.
On New Year's Eve, he mentioned that he would take her to see the lanterns on the Lantern Festival, but Sui Sui didn't take it seriously and he didn't mention it again after that. He didn't show up on the Lantern Festival either. Sui Sui just thought he was busy and forgot about it and didn't take it seriously.
After dinner, she sent Chun Tiao, Xiao Tong and other maids out to enjoy the lanterns. She took a bath, changed into her pajamas, put on a cotton robe, sat cross-legged on the couch, and was about to play a game of chess before going to bed when she heard the sound of carriages and horses outside.
She quickly put on her shoes and socks, got off the couch and went out to greet him.
Before she could lift the curtain, Huan Xuan came in with a whiff of snow and wind: "Why aren't there any servants in your courtyard?"
Sui Sui said, "I'll ask them to go to the Lantern Festival and see if they can buy anything delicious or fun."
Huan Xuan knew that she was being too kind again. Although he felt that it was unnecessary for her to be so considerate to the servants, he changed his mind and thought that this was also due to her good character. He had seen some people who came from humble backgrounds and suddenly became rich, and they treated their servants more harshly than the rich and powerful.
He looked at her and found that the ends of her hair were slightly damp and she was wearing pajamas under her cotton robe. He raised his eyebrows and said, "We agreed to go out, why didn't you get ready?"
Sui Sui was speechless. She couldn't say that she didn't expect him to keep his promise.
Huan Xuan was very smart and guessed her thoughts immediately. He raised his eyebrows and said coldly, "Do you think I will break my promise?"
Sui Sui knew that at this moment she could only stroke his fur: "I will change my clothes right now."
Huan Xuandao threw the thing in his hand to her and said, "Put it on."
Sui Sui took it and took a look. It turned out to be a brand new set of royal guard uniform. She shook it and compared it with her and knew it was her size. Even the white silk to wrap the chest was prepared.
There were huge crowds of people at the Lantern Festival, and wearing men's clothes was indeed more convenient than women's. I thanked him casually and went behind the screen to change with my clothes in my arms.
Huan Xuan crossed his arms and said, "Hurry up, there will be nothing to see if you go too late."
Sui Sui couldn't help but pursed her lips and smiled: "Okay, I understand."
Huan Xuan always felt that although her tone was respectful, it contained a hint of ridicule, and for a moment he became annoyed and angry. This hunter girl was becoming more and more daring, and she even dared to make fun of him. It seemed that he had been pampering her too much recently, which had damaged his prestige.
Just as he was feeling awkward, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the light inside the screen casting a woman's figure on the silk screen.
Her slender and graceful figure can be faintly seen in the gaps between the branches.
Huan Xuan's throat tightened. He picked up the half cup of cold jujube tea that she had left on the table and drank it all in one gulp, trying hard to suppress the anger in his heart.
I promised to take her to see the lanterns tonight. He had watched the Lantern Festival in Chang'an every year before, and he didn't think it was anything special, but she came from a remote area, and it was rare for her to see it, so she must have been looking forward to it.
At this moment, a woman's slightly hoarse voice suddenly came from behind the screen: "Your Highness, can you lend a hand?"
Huan Xuan frowned upon hearing this. If this wasn't just being spoiled, then what would it be? Although he thought so, he immediately stood up and walked towards her, impatiently asking, "What's the matter?"
Just as he walked around the screen, Sui Sui turned around, and one end of the silk belt covered his heart, and he no longer cared about the rest of his body.
Huan Xuan's brows were still frowning, but his eyes were fixed.
Sui Sui was not being arrogant because of her favor, she really needed his help. She tried to wrap it twice, but the silk was too slippery, and her skin was slippery too, so she couldn't wrap it tightly. She was still young when she disguised herself as a man in the military camp, and nothing could be seen without wrapping it, so she had no experience.
"I can't hold you tight." Sui Sui said helplessly.
She grew up in the barracks and was not as shy as other girls in the boudoir. Their relationship was such that they had no privacy from each other, so she felt no discomfort in exposing her body in front of him.
But although she was comfortable, Huan Xuan was not. He felt all the hot blood in his body rushing to his head.
Sui Sui's attention was all on that damn bra strap: "Your Highness, can you hold this end?" She pointed to her chest.
Huan Xuan took the silk ribbon from her hand, but instead of helping her, he threw it aside.
Before Sui Sui could react, his feet had already left the ground.
"It's too late and there's nothing to see." Sui Sui didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and repeated what he had just said to her.
"Hurry up." Huan Xuan said in a hoarse voice.
There were only two of them in the whole yard, and no one had prepared contraceptive soup on impulse. Huan Xuan could only scratch the surface.
The last time they did this was half a month ago. Both of them were a little anxious, and Sui Sui soon couldn't hold on any longer, and her nails dug deeply into his back.
Huan Xuan felt a pain on his back, thinking that this female hunter was getting too aggressive. The first time was strange, the second time was familiar, and she was not at all shy with him.
But the strange thing is that he was not angry at all when he was scratched on the back, and he was even secretly proud of it.
One time was far from enough, it could only satisfy his craving a little. Huan Xuan remembered that he had planned to take the village girl to see the lanterns, and let go of Sui Sui with a reluctant look.
There was no time to take a shower, so they went to the bathroom, quickly wiped their bodies with cold water, and then went to change clothes.
This time Huan Xuan didn't make any trouble and helped her wrap the silk ribbon obediently.
Sui Sui put on the guard's clothes, which really fit her perfectly. They were tailored according to her body shape. It was obvious that he had always remembered about watching the lanterns and had asked people to prepare them long ago.
Sui Sui suddenly felt ashamed of his petty mind. The King of Qi was a man who valued his promises. Even though there was a huge gap in their status, he would not go back on his word.
Besides, he treated her as Ruan Yuewei's substitute, and probably looked forward to taking his "sweetheart" out on the Lantern Festival to make up for the regret.
The two of them tidied their clothes. Huan Xuan took a look at Sui Sui. She was dressed in a guard's black uniform. She wore a long sword at her waist. She had a slender figure. She didn't wear any makeup, but she had an androgynous charm.
He suddenly regretted asking her to dress up as a guard. If he had known that her men's clothing would be so eye-catching, it would have been better for her to wear women's clothing and a veil hat. When he thought of the huge crowds at the Lantern Festival and how many people would stare at her, he couldn't be happy.
Sui Sui fastened his belt and looked up, only to see Huan Xuan with a look of confusion again. He didn't know how he had disliked him again.
After a little thought, he suddenly realized that she had changed into men's clothes, and her every move became more masculine, and she was no longer like Ruan Yuewei.
To be honest, she is not doing a very good job as a stand-in.
The city was crowded tonight, and it would be difficult to move forward in a carriage, so the two men rode horses.
Sui Sui, the wild horse that she had tamed last time, had been trained by her for some time and had completely recognized its master. It was just right for her to ride it to see the lights tonight.
The two men rode side by side, and the attendants tactfully did not move forward to avoid being in the way, and lagged far behind.
Huan Xuan glanced disdainfully at the obedient black horse and asked Sui Sui, "Does your horse have a name?"
This hunter girl is illiterate and cannot read a single word, so she probably cannot come up with a name. If she asks him to give her a name, he will help her come up with a decent one.
Unexpectedly, she nodded: "Yes, call me Little Black Face."
Huan Xuan guessed that she couldn't come up with a good name, but this was a bit too confusing.
Sui Sui said: "I am illiterate and cannot come up with a nice name."
After she said that, Huan Xuan was speechless and said insincerely, "That's quite appropriate."
Sui Sui couldn't help but smile when she saw him trying to go through with it with a bitter face.
In fact, "Xiao Hei Lian" is just the horse's nickname. Its real name is Zhui Feng. It is a pair with Ji Ying who lives far away in Heshuo. Ji Ying's nickname is Da Hei Lian.
She hugged Lou Heima's neck affectionately, patted its head, and pulled its ears. The horse enjoyed it very much and snorted.
Huan Xuan frowned and said, "This beast is so dirty. How is he going to eat after touching dirty things?"
The black horse seemed to understand what people said and immediately kicked up its hooves.
Sui Sui stroked the horse's neck and fur to comfort it: "It's not dirty, it's not dirty, little black face is not dirty, I brush it clean every day..."
The tone was gentle, as if he was coaxing a child.
Huan Xuan was too lazy to pay attention to the hunter woman. He turned his face away, squeezed his legs against the horse's belly, and the purple and white horse under him trotted forward quickly, leaving the annoying man and horse behind.
Sui Sui chased after him with a smile. Zhuifeng was indeed the best horse in the King of Qi's stable, and he caught up with him in no time.
Huan Xuan heard the sound of approaching horse hooves and glanced to the side out of the corner of his eye, but he still did not see the hunter woman coming forward.
He had no choice but to pretend to turn his head to look at the guards behind him, and glanced at Sui Sui with the corner of his eye, only to see that she was lagging behind, always one horse length behind him.
When Huan Xuan loosened his reins, she also slowed down. When Huan Xuan urged the horse to ride, she followed closely.
After walking for several miles, the streets were gradually filled with people and vehicles. Huan Xuan turned around and said confidently, "Follow me. Don't get lost in this crowd."
Huan Xuan's original plan was to go north first to the street in front of Chengtian Gate to watch the lantern wheel, dragon lantern dance and various performances, then go to the Qiongling Pavilion in Pingkangfang to enjoy singing and dancing and have a midnight snack, then go south along Zhuque Street, then turn east to Qujiang Lake in the southeast corner of Chang'an to visit the market and release river lanterns.
However, because he was delayed for half an hour before leaving, he was unable to watch the show.
"We came out too late," Huan Xuan said, "We can't catch the Dragon Lantern Dance. I can only take you to see it next year."
Sui Sui didn't have any obsession with watching lanterns. Heshuo was also celebrating the Lantern Festival. These lantern wheels, dragon lanterns, and lantern trees were all similar, just a little bigger or smaller. She nodded indifferently: "Okay."
After a pause, he asked again, "Your Highness, do you want to watch the dragon lantern dance?"
Huan Xuan said: "Look, it happens every year, but the shape of the dragon changes a little every year."
She said casually, "Your Highness, just take a look. I have no problem with anything."
Sui Sui pointed to the lights hanging on the corner tower of the inner quarter and the light trees on the roadside and said: "These lights are very beautiful."
Huan Xuan took a look and found that they were not just ordinary lanterns.
He side-glanced at the woman; her face looked even more flawless under the light, with a pearl-like halo around her and her amber eyes sparkling.
His heart moved slightly, it seemed that it really didn't matter what kind of lights he looked at, it was a pleasure to swim side by side like this.
He was no longer anxious. The two of them turned into Zhuque Street and headed north. There were more and more tourists and horses, and when they reached Chengtian Gate, the road was almost blocked. Many horse-drawn carriages and calf-drawn carts were stuck in the road and could not move. Many people abandoned their vehicles and walked.
Later it became inconvenient to ride horses, so the two had to dismount, hand the horses to their followers, and walk forward - on a day like the Lantern Festival, even the nobles had no choice. Huan Xuan regretted not taking the Imperial Road, but if he took the Imperial Road with his ceremonial guards as a prince, the roads would be closed and the way would be cleared wherever he went, and the festive atmosphere would be gone.
When they arrived at Chengtian Gate, not only had the dragon lantern dance ended, but most of the various performances had also been performed. There were crowds of people everywhere. If they were not both tall, they would have been able to only see the backs of people's heads.
The Hundred Plays in Chang'an were similar to those in Weizhou, except for the addition of dancing elephants. After watching them, the two went to Pingkangfang.
Qionglin Pavilion is the best restaurant in Chang'an. All the dishes are from the Qionglin Banquets for Jinshi scholars in previous years. The guests who come here are either rich or noble. On days like the Lantern Festival, it is impossible to book a private room even three years in advance.
Of course, Huan Xuan is not among them.
The two men walked into the building with their entourage. Just as the attendant was about to reveal his identity, Huan Xuan suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure and his heart skipped a beat.
Upon closer inspection, it was indeed the Crown Prince in White Dragon Fish Costume and the Crown Princess Ruan Yuewei.
Huan Xuan expected that he might meet someone acquaintance in Qionglin Pavilion, and he was not afraid of being seen, but he never expected that the prince would take Ruan Yuewei out for a trip in disguise.
At this moment, Ruan Yuewei also looked towards him as if she sensed something.
Huan Xuan didn't have time to think, and unconsciously took a step forward and stood in front of Sui Sui.