It is the night of the Shangyuan Festival, in the Imperial City of Luoyang, at the Hanyuan Hall (Xinming Hall), at three o'clock in the morning.
Inside the second-story palace, looking around, you can see bricks and jade tiles, which are magnificent.
All the guests were dressed in silk and brocade robes, and the high tables were filled with delicacies and famous dishes. Hundreds of dancers, decorated with pearls and embroidered clothes, emerged from the curtains and danced gracefully to the music.
On the night of the Shangyuan Festival, the sage Li Longji hosted a banquet for all civil and military officials and princes to enjoy the lanterns together in the attic of Hanyuan Hall.
Sitting in the upper seat of the palace, Yang Yuhuan leaned on the railing and looked out. He saw lights and colorful lights everywhere in the city, and the sound of singing and dancing continued. The Taishang Xuanyuan Zhenxian Lantern Tower in Shangyang Palace was even brighter.
Like falling into a fairyland.
Mrs. Yang's wife from Guoguo, her eldest sister Mrs. Hanguo and her eighth sister Mrs. Qinguo also congratulated Concubine Yang on Shangyuan's well-being.
Yang Yuhuan looked at the three sisters and said with a smile: "On the Lantern Festival, they are all sisters, so why should they be so different?"
Mrs. Guo Guo knew that Yang Yuhuan loved music and novelty, so she said: "The sisters specially found a snow parrot for Yuhuan from Lingnan. He can not only speak human language, but also sing."
When Yang Yuhuan heard this, he looked happy and quickly asked someone to bring it.
A chamberlain fetched the birdcage and opened the curtain, only to see a snow-white parrot standing in the cage, looking around.
Mrs. Guo Guo teased Brother Xue Ying with her words, but the latter sang a southern slang song with correct words and well-organized lyrics, which made Yang Yuhuan laugh.
Seeing Yang Yuhuan amusing the parrot, Mrs. Guo Guo came closer and said: "The Yang family is building a temple and erecting a monument in the family temple. I would like to ask for an annotation written by the saint. Is it possible?"
Yang Yuhuan was watching the parrot happily, and didn't think much about it. He just responded: "What's the problem? I'll just talk to Sanlang."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Guo Guo turned her head, looked at each other and smiled at the eldest sister and eighth sister, and said no more.
On the other side, hundreds of officials from the eastern capital knelt on the ground and paid their respects to the sage Shangyuan.
Li Longji had some wine and was in a good mood, and he said: "I am having a banquet with the ministers, enjoying the peace of time, and belong to this superior yuan. I should have endless joy, and sing and dance until the morning!"
Some ministers said: "The power of the Tang Dynasty has never been equaled in the past and present! The Turks disappeared, and the Tibetans fell into silence after a battle, all because of your majesty!"
Li Longji stroked his beard and nodded.
Some ministers said: "The national treasury is abundant, the people live and work in peace and contentment, and there is singing and dancing everywhere in the country. This is a prosperous age unprecedented in ancient times!"
Li Longji has a smile on his face.
Another minister said: "Your Majesty is sincere, works hard to govern, and appoints talented people. The prince is diligent and thoughtful, and is diligent in literature and military affairs. The Tang Dynasty will surely achieve great achievements for generations to come!"
Hearing this, the smile on Li Longji's face slowly faded, and he just nodded slightly.
After all the officials returned to the table, Gao Lishi bowed and asked Li Longji about the opera cards.
The latter waved his hand nonchalantly.
Gao Lishi took a careful look at Li Longji's face, responded, and then ordered the musicians to start playing.
Watching the dance in the palace, Li Longji suddenly asked Gao Lishi beside him: "Can Huangfu Weiming send someone to send it to Li Linfu to read it?"
Gao Lishi nodded and said, "Li Linfu has already seen it."
Li Longji: "How does he defend himself?"
Gao Lishi: "Li Linfu said that the power in my hands is all given by His Majesty, and the things I do are not selfish at all, but are all for Your Majesty."
Li Longji smiled: "This Li Linfu is quite calm."
After thinking for a moment, Li Longji asked Gao Lishi again: "Did Huangfu Weiming also say in his memorial that Wei Jian, the Minister of Punishment, has the talent of a prime minister?"
Gao Lishi's body trembled, but he did not dare to hesitate and could only answer yes.
Li Longji's expression remained calm, but he stopped talking.
At this moment, someone shouted loudly: "Shangyang Palace, Shangyang Palace!"
When Li Longji saw everyone in the palace leaving their seats, he couldn't help but feel suspicious, so he asked Gao Lishi to go and see what was going on.
After a while, Gao Lishi came back with a shocked look on his face and reported: "Your Majesty! The lantern tower of the Supreme Immortal Xuanyuan... is on fire!"
In Shangyang Palace, at three o'clock in the morning, there are still two hours before the lantern tower catches fire.
Zhou Jun and Hua Yue came to the gate of Shangyang Palace, checked the fish talisman, and then went under the lantern tower.
At this time, the sun was already setting in the west, and the afterglow of the setting sun shone on the lantern tower, casting a long shadow on the ground.
In less than half an hour, when the sun has completely set, the Taishang Xuanyuan Zhenxian Lantern Tower will be lit up, becoming the most eye-catching lantern on the night of the Shangyuan Festival in Luoyang.
Standing at the entrance of the lantern tower, Zhou Jun glanced at the spiral wooden steps above his head like a ladder to heaven, took a deep breath, and climbed up while holding on to the wooden beam beside him with one hand.
The two of them finally arrived at the arch in the middle of the lantern tower, where they saw a dozen craftsmen busy inspecting the mechanism and lanterns to ensure that there would be no flaws in the Taishang Xuanyuan True Fairy Lantern on the night of the Lantern Festival.
Zhou Jun looked around and found Jin Youji and Liu Xiaoxian, not even Master Mao Shun here.
So, he found a craftsman and asked, "Where is Master Mao Shun?"
The craftsman replied: "The master craftsman went to the watchtower in the upper section of the lantern tower."
Zhou Jun: "Has Jin Youji been here before?"
Craftsman: "I've been here and brought a craftsman here, saying he was here to help."
Zhou Jun and Hua Yue looked at each other. They came to the end of the arch and found the wooden ladder leading to the watchtower.
This wooden ladder is different from the spiral staircase in the lower section. It is a scaffolding ladder with two straight logs and a footing in the middle.
Zhou Jun looked at the endless scaffolding ladder and felt a little dizzy. Finally, he gritted his teeth and climbed up.
After a lot of trouble, Zhou Jun and Hua Yue finally reached the bottom of the watchtower. Before they entered the inner room of the watchtower, they heard heated conversations.
Mao Shun: "I told you! You must leave!"
Jin Youji: "If my daughter and I leave here, we will definitely die. Please show mercy to us!"
Mao Shun: "I can't control that. Anyway, we won't take you here. You can go wherever you like!"
Jin Youji: "I also know that by hiding us, you are putting yourself in danger and will definitely harm the hairmaker. However, my daughter is being chased by thieves and has nowhere to go. We will not stay for a long time. We just want to escape this."
A few days of limelight!”
Mao Shun: "I'm not worried that it will harm myself, but this is really not a good place for you to hide."
Liu Xiaoxian: "Master is not afraid of powerful people, and Xiaoxian has heard about it. Why don't you allow us to borrow this place temporarily?"
Mao Shun: "This matter... I can't explain it for a while. Anyway, you can't stay here, leave quickly!"
Hua Yue, who was hiding at the door, whispered to Zhou Jun: "Why doesn't Mao Shun not allow Liu Xiaoxian and the others to stay?"
Zhou Jun was also a little puzzled. Judging from his daily interactions, Master Mao Shun was not an unreasonable person, not to mention that Jin Youji was a craftsman under him.
While Zhou Jun was still thinking, the call of the craftsmen came from the arch in the middle of the lamp tower: "Master Mao Shun, the time has come."
Master Mao Shun, who was inside, responded, looked at Jin Youji and Liu Xiaoxian, shook his head helplessly, and then pulled the wooden pole next to him.
For a moment, the sound of crankshafts and gears creaking could be heard throughout the lamp tower. Countless ropes tied with sandbags were shuttled up and down, and the lamp tower's mechanisms began to operate as if they were wound up.
The tung oil flowed into the designated lamp shaft along the pipes and wooden troughs, and the flints ignited sparks under the collision of the wedges, igniting more than 200 lanterns in more than 30 lamp rooms up and down the entire lamp building.
.
In an instant, the entire lantern tower went from being completely dark to being illuminated by lanterns all over the body. The light was as bright as day, illuminating the entire Shangyang Palace like a fairyland, like a dream.