The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival.
At night, before it gets completely dark, the lights in the imperial city are lit one after another.
Looking down from the sky, the north side of Chang'an City seems to have a string of pearls, and the hazy halos are connected together, making the imperial city colorful.
In the evening, the whole city of Chang'an was in commotion. The people of Chang'an, regardless of the cold weather, rushed north towards the imperial city with their families, and there was an endless stream of people.
Young people and children grew up in the war, and the emperors in Chang'an City changed several times. They had never seen the rumored Chang'an Lantern Festival, and their excitement was palpable.
The elders pointed and introduced the grand occasion of the Chang'an Lantern Festival to their children and grandchildren.
The period of Emperor Wen can be called a prosperous period. However, because Emperor Wen advocated frugality throughout his life, Chang'an would only hold a lantern festival every three years, and the scale was not large. After each event, Emperor Wen would complain to the ministers and say
Too extravagant and so on.
When Yang Guang succeeded to the throne, the situation changed. Without the constraints of Emperor Wen and his wife, the Lantern Festival on New Year's Eve became an annual event, and it was extremely luxurious.
Speaking of this, many people will add with emotion that the emperor moved the capital to Luoyang, and the lantern festival here in Chang'an was inferior to that in the eastern capital. It is a pity.
The flow of people gradually gathered towards the north.
When the time came, the three southern gates of the imperial city, the Zhuque Gate and the Hanguang Gate, were installed and opened one after another. The bustling crowds of people rushed in, and the laughter and laughter could not be heard.
The Shunyi Gate and Jingfeng Gate connecting Buzhengfang, Banzhengfang, Chongrenfang, Yongxingfang and other places from east to west were opened at the same time. These places were inhabited by nobles and officials in Chang'an City.
There were also many nobles who came to the Imperial City to view the lanterns. They were gorgeously dressed and high-spirited. Even though they walked in, they looked completely different from ordinary people.
……………………
Most of the lanterns are concentrated on both sides of Zhuque Street, and there are far fewer in other streets and alleys.
There were only two households in the imperial city, one was the Mrs. Chu's Mansion on the east side of the imperial city, and the other was the Prince Wu's Mansion on the west. After hearing the imperial edict, these two families made some lanterns according to the customs of the time.
They formed a circle around the mansion.
Most of the others were produced by various government offices of the imperial court, mainly by the Ministry of Industry and Taichang Temple with the support of the Ministry of Household Affairs. In the past, some minor officials would participate in the preparation of songs, dances, fireworks, etc.
But now the imperial court is not that wealthy, so it has omitted many links, and the purpose has become simple, which is to let the officials and the people have fun during the festival, and even the meaning of celebrating the unification of the world is very weak.
But having said that, Chang'an City has not held such a large-scale celebration for a long time, so both the officials and the people were in high spirits.
The aristocratic families in Chang'an City even made many lanterns and hung them on the streets of the imperial city, adding a lot of color to the lantern market. The crowds who came to watch the lanterns were also very distinctive. Most of them carried colorful and various homemade lanterns.
Various lamps come to the imperial city.
At night, the lights in the Imperial City were flickering and people were buzzing. The Imperial City, which had been lonely for a long time, finally ushered in a grand scene that had not been seen for a long time.
……………………
"The minister used to live in Luoyang. Xuancheng once heard that Luoyang Lantern Market is as gorgeous and prosperous as a night banquet in Yaochi. I wonder if the rumor is true or false?"
Wei Zheng and Du Chuke walked slowly among the crowd, with their hands tucked into their sleeves and held in front of their bodies. Although they were both dressed in casual clothes, they looked official at first sight.
Du Chuke is much younger than Wei Zheng. He has just turned thirty this year. He comes from a family of officials and has few talents.
Although the Jingzhao Du family is a member of the Kansai clan, their brothers are different from the Kansai clan. They have a family of scholars, and the whole family is a scholar. Their words and deeds are very polite, and they have not been tainted with the toughness of the Kansai clan.
gas.
Moreover, this man moved to Luoyang with his father and ancestors when he was young, and had little contact with the Kansai family.
He suffered a lot in Luoyang in the past few years. He was already a frail person, but now he was even more skinny. He was raised in Chang'an for more than a year and he still didn't recover.
People can't help but worry whether he will follow in the footsteps of his elder brother Du Ruhui.
Now that Du Chuke had just made a big deal, and Yuwen Shiji was demoted from the capital, a big pie fell from the sky and fell on the unprepared head of Du Chuke, which made him dizzy for a while.
I still don't quite understand why he came to fill the position of servant.
Because there is not much friendship, no one has explained anything to him so far.
Therefore, he acted cautiously and did not dare to act like an official when dealing with old Jinyang ministers like Wei Zheng.
In fact, he himself had also thought that since it was not recommended by his uncle Du Yan, maybe it was because his mother's family was the Guo family of Jinyang? Now that the Jin Dynasty and the Guanxi clan are competing against each other, is he taking advantage of his mother's family?
Anyway, he was a little confused.
Within a few days of serving under his sect, he treated Wei Zheng and others with courtesy. He also grasped the olive branch extended by eldest grandson Shunde. After all, they were all from Luoyang.
Of course, what he most wanted to enter was the circle of the Jin people or the Guanxi aristocratic family. Both sides were very stable, while the Henan people were a mixed bag... He was used to these people's tricks when he was in Luoyang, and he didn't dare to interact with them.
They are in company.
As for the family, his uncle Du Yan was too utilitarian and ruthless. Even though he greeted him with a smile and invited him over for drinks and chats several times, he declined.
Unreliable relatives are more dangerous than outsiders...
He cares about the blood of his relatives, but he is not a fool. He does not intend to deal with his uncle hypocritically and pretend that nothing has happened. After all, he has already formed a blood feud in Luoyang.
He could even imagine his uncle dancing with joy after hearing the news of his brother Du Ruhui's death. That was really disgusting.
……………………
At this time, he was strolling along the long street, occasionally looking up at the lanterns on both sides of the road, and then at the bustling crowd around him. Apart from the fact that it was too cold, which made him a little unbearable, he was still in a good mood.
When Wei Zheng asked, he smiled and replied: "Luoyang... Shanbin may not have seen such a scene for a long time. If Brother Wei hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten it.
Shanbin lived in Luoyang when he was young. At that time, Emperor Yang had just moved his country to the eastern capital. On the night of the New Year's Eve, he said that the whole world would celebrate. He moved the capital at the beginning of the year. In the middle of the year, preparations were made for the small jungle country in the south, people from the Western Regions, Turkic envoys, and people from Goguryeo.
.
The DPRK boasts that all nations have come to the DPRK, and the local counties and counties are auspicious. Brother Wei, why don't you imagine what the grand scene must have been like at that time?
During the Shangyuan Festival, Emperor Yang held a banquet in the palace for the ministers and envoys from various countries. The lantern market outside the palace stretched endlessly, lighting up almost the entire city of Luoyang, and people gathered together all night long until dawn.
The imperial court set up a long stage outside the palace, which was seven or eight miles long, and there was singing and dancing all night long. There were ten thousand musicians playing music at that time, and tens of thousands of singers and dancers.
My family and I lingered in the lantern market, almost missing our destination at dawn."
Speaking of this, Du Chuke felt a little longing, but also gave a bitter smile with disgust and continued: "Yaochi Night Banquet? Even if it is a gathering of immortals, how can it be as grand as the Luoyang Lantern Market at that time?"
But Brother Wei, there is no need to envy others. I later heard that the waste in that night was enough for the world to use for a year, not to mention that nearly a thousand people froze to death in that night, all of them were palace servants, musicians and other miscellaneous people.
service.
Under the bright lights, there are so many bones and innocent souls. We should take this as a warning. Brother Wei is a remonstrating official and is always at the emperor's side. If the Supreme Lord wants to do this, Brother Wei should remonstrate him. There is no greater good for the country and the people.
.”
Wei Zheng secretly smacked his tongue, yearning for the scene Du Chuke described.
He was seven or eight years older than Du Chuke, but at that time he was a local official. Well, I just heard rumors. How could he go to Luoyang to watch the lanterns?
Later, he followed Li Mi to attack the city of Luoyang. At that time, everything was full of battles and killings, and people died one after another, which completely wiped out the interest of Luoyang people in holding lantern festivals.
Wei Zheng didn't mind seeing Du Chuke switch to the mode of admonition, because he was indeed his superior officer now. Compared with the two old foxes Feng Deyi and Changsun Shunde, Du Chuke was undoubtedly the easier one to get along with.
It's just that he doesn't quite understand why Du Ruhui's younger brother suddenly rose to the rank of servant. It feels a bit fantasy, and the supreme mind is too big, right?
You must know that Du Ruhui is Li Shimin's mastermind...
Putting aside those things, Du Chuke is a pretty good person. If you listen to what he said, what he said is completely correct. It's just that the person listening is a little wrong. You should tell the Supreme. Everyone's expressions will be very interesting.
Wei Zheng was thinking all kinds of things in his heart, but he made a respectful expression on his face, cupped his fists and saluted: "What the Minister said is absolutely true, but the Minister is overly worried. The Supreme Being is the first to create a generation, so how can he be compared to the King who has subjugated his country?"
Du Chuke was startled by just one sentence, and he looked at Wei Zheng with a strange look in his eyes. He thought to himself, this guy won't slander me in the future, right?
Why did I compare the Supreme to Yang Guang? Don’t you want to falsely accuse me...
"What are you two talking about? My lantern festival is very ordinary. Are you talking bad about me?"
Unknowingly, Li Po had arrived in front of them, both of them were startled, and Du Chuke's face turned pale with fright.
Naturally, it will not be Du Chuke and Wei Zheng traveling together today. These two people are incompatible with each other and have no friendship.
During the Lantern Festival, Li Po took Li Bi and Ashina Rongzhen out incognito. Du Chuke and Wei Zheng happened to be on duty, so under Wei Zheng's advice... he left the palace and blended in with the crowd who came to watch the lanterns.
.
There were countless people from the Senniu Prefecture hiding around them, so there was nothing to worry about in terms of safety.
Li Po looked at the expressions of the two of them and muttered in his heart, they are not really saying bad things about me, are they? Just hold a fucking lantern party and you will be gibbering, don't you want to do it?