Time flies.
In the blink of an eye, it’s the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month.
After New Year's Eve, the whole capital was shrouded in gloom. In the past half month, everyone's mood was not good, both inside and outside the palace.
Because she did not celebrate the Spring Festival properly, the queen decided to hold a grand Lantern Festival.
Early in the morning, the palace maids and eunuchs got busy. Kunning Palace was hung with lanterns everywhere. They were palace lanterns with complicated shapes. When the candle in the middle was lit up, the lanterns had a layered effect, which was dazzlingly beautiful.
Not only Kunning Palace, but also a lantern place was arranged in the Imperial Garden. Hundreds of lanterns were used in the sky to illuminate the dark night.
This is the Lantern Festival organized by the Queen. In addition to the people in the harem, the wives of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth grade court officials are also invited to come together. There are also literati and talented people who are also invited. It is said that the Lantern Festival is celebrated every year. There will be several pairs of lovers during the festival, which can be regarded as another form of blind date banquet.
Cheng Wanwan's injury was almost healed, so she naturally participated in the Lantern Festival Lantern Festival. Not only that, her family members were also invited to the palace, including Zhao Sanniu and Zhao Sidan, as well as Cheng Zhao and Situman.
The queen knew that she and her family had been separated for a long time and missed each other, so she specially arranged them at the same table.
Situ Man smiled and said, "Second aunt seems to have gained some weight."
Cheng Wanwan smiled bitterly and pinched her face, wasn't it? She ate and slept every day in the palace and was not allowed to go out even if she wanted to. I conservatively estimated that she had gained at least five kilograms.
"It's better to look fatter." Mrs. Ruan answered at the next table. "If you are too thin, you will get wrinkles easily, which makes you look older. Wanwan doesn't look thirty years old now, so young."
"Sister Ruan's words are too exaggerated." Cheng Wanwan said with shame, "You said that I look less than thirty-five years old, but you can still believe this. I am a thirty-eight-year-old person, and you say that I am not thirty. If word gets out, people will laugh to death.”
Mrs. Lin's face was straight: "Let's see who dares to laugh."
Zhao Sidan burst out laughing. Seeing the ladies around him looking at him, he coughed and said, "So many people like my mother. I'm really happy."
The ladies and daughters who entered the banquet hall would come to Cheng Wanwan to inquire about her physical condition, and everyone's attitude was very respectful and friendly.
It wasn't until the royal family arrived that the people talking on Cheng Wanwan's side dispersed.
The emperor and queen walked in front, Rongqing supported the queen mother and walked slightly behind, followed by the princes and princesses, followed closely by all the concubines.
Because something bad happened on New Year's Eve, the members of the royal family deliberately dressed more festively on this day, as if this could expel the pain half a month ago...
After everyone was seated, the Lantern Festival banquet began.
The palace maids and eunuchs brought out all the dishes, and after three drinks, it was time for the talent show that everyone was accustomed to.
Because it was a blind date party in disguise, all the people participating in the performance were the daughters and young masters who were not yet married.
The second prince and the third prince were old but not married. All the ladies tried their best to attract the attention of the two princes, and the performances were exciting.
Cheng Wanwan was eating and watching the show, feeling very good.
After the rich ladies had finished their performances, it was the turn of the young gentlemen. The first ones to perform were the second prince and the third prince, and then the other noble princes...
After one of the performances, the queen suddenly said: "Sui Shuren's third son is nineteen years old this year. It seems that he is not married yet. Why don't we also perform?"
Zhao Sanniu had been working hard, but when he was called out like this, he was so frightened that he almost choked to death and quickly waved his hand to refuse.
Cheng Wanwan stood up: "Everyone here is a lady. My son is naturally stupid, so I'd better not go on stage and offend everyone."
Sanniu is simple-minded and not suitable for marrying the daughter of a big family. If she gets involved in a house fight, it will be really embarrassing. She can't get married and let her, the mother-in-law, deal with the mess in the back house.
The queen glanced at Zhao Sanniu. He looked really naive, but such a man was down-to-earth and reassuring as a husband.
It would be nice to have a niece in her natal family. If there is a chance, the niece and Wanwan's son can be together. If the two families become in-laws, the relationship between her and Wanwan will be closer.
After everyone's performances are over, it's the Lantern Festival that attracts everyone's attention.
There are thousands of palace lanterns hanging in the sky, and there are lantern riddles under each palace lantern. Whoever guesses the most correctly within the time limit of one stick of incense will win the top spot today.
It was Cheng Wanwan's first time to participate in the lantern festival, and she walked around with great interest.
However, at this moment, a group of people rushed into the imperial garden, and the originally lively lantern festival suddenly became a commotion.
Everyone followed the sound and saw a man in Taoist uniform, about fifty or sixty years old, bursting in from the entrance. He was holding a mahogany sword in his hand, muttering something, and followed by four or five young Taoist priests.
Someone present recognized the man.
"It's the Imperial Master!"
"The Imperial Master rarely shows up, what happened today?"
"When the Imperial Master appears, something big will happen. Don't ignore it. Just wait and see."
Everyone who was originally enthusiastic about guessing lantern riddles lost interest and quickly moved away from the middle of the field, retreating to the side to watch what was going on.
The members of the royal family sitting in high positions also looked puzzled, wondering what the imperial master was doing at the lantern festival.
Although the Imperial Preceptor is also a first-rank official, he has no real power. He is responsible for the study of astronomical divination. Normally, the Imperial Preceptor rarely talks, but as long as he speaks, it will definitely attract attention.
The Imperial Master stood in the center of the lantern festival and suddenly threw the peach wood sword in his hand.
"Hurry as the law dictates!"
"Your Majesty's decree, transcend your lonely soul..."
"Five Elements and Three Realms, Bagua Zhanpou...appear quickly!"
There was silence all around, except for the peach wood sword spinning rapidly in the air, and a firelight lit up in the night.
It was not an ordinary red flame, but a blue-green flame, like a dim light, and then suddenly flew towards the crowd...
Everyone was so frightened that they quickly retreated.
The national master turned over and jumped up, holding the peach wood sword in his hand, scattering countless white rice, burning several talismans, and shouted: "Determine!"
The will-o'-the-wisp was fixed in the air.
Cheng Wanwan raised his head and saw the faint blue flames stopped above his head.
"This is a lonely soul, an evil star descended from the sky!" The mahogany sword of the national master pointed directly at the center of Cheng Wanwan's eyebrows, "The evil is caused by the changes of the five stars, breaking the energy of the five elements of heaven and earth, it is a sign of great evil. If there is an evil in the country Star, will gradually become a country of immorality and disrespect, with droughts and floods coming from the sky, people suffering hardship, and soldiers hungry..."
Everyone present understood it, and everyone looked in disbelief.
"What the Imperial Master means is that Mrs. Sui is an evil star?"
"Mrs. Sui is clearly the lucky star of the Dayu Dynasty. Did the Imperial Master make a mistake?"
"But think about it carefully, is there frequent natural disasters in the place where Mrs. Sui is? First there were locust plagues and droughts, followed by plagues, and then snowstorms and floods... This is a warning from God."
"..."
When Cheng Wanwan was pointed at by the Imperial Master with a mahogany sword, she was slightly panicked at first, because she was indeed a lonely soul, commonly known as a ghost, and it seemed reasonable for the Imperial Master to see through her face.
But what the National Master said later was full of loopholes.
If you say that she is a lonely ghost, then you should prove this point of view, but you still talk about what kind of evil star she is.
Before she came to this era, there were still all kinds of disasters. After she came, she reduced countless losses for Dayu Dynasty. She should not be a evil star in any way.
Also, this will-o'-the-wisp on the head is really child's play.
Cheng Wanwan raised his head, looked through the crowd, and saw Princess Rongqing standing next to the Queen Mother, and caught the sneer that passed from the corner of Princess Rongqing's mouth.
She understood instantly.
