The Lantern Festival is here! This is a festival that belongs to the people of Chang'an. Not only does the whole city celebrate together, from the emperor to the slaves, but the curfew is also lifted!
It started on the Lantern Festival and continued for three consecutive days, day and night, with non-stop activities! The city gates are not closed at night, and there are no forbidden troops patrolling the night, so you can have fun as you want! Chang'an residents can move freely within the city.
The Shangyuan Festival in Chang'an is completely different from the Shangyuan Festival elsewhere in the Tang Dynasty.
You may hang a lantern elsewhere, and your family may put some good wine and food in the yard, but there are so many activities in Chang'an that it can be called the "city that never sleeps."
The poems about Yuan Ye in Chang'an have shocked the past and present, and there are many famous poems. Not only that, there have been many bloody incidents on the Lantern Festival in history.
During the Zhongzong period of the Tang Dynasty, there was a Lantern Festival celebration.
At the instigation of Empress Wei, the emperor Li Xian also participated in the celebrations and paraded through the streets. Not to mention that, on a whim, Li Xian ordered the palace door to be opened and let the maids in the palace wear casual clothes and follow him out to play.
Li Xian may have been thinking at the time that these palace maids should be very grateful to me for finally being able to come out once!
However, the ideal is very full, and the reality is extremely skinny.
One night passed, and when the team counted the number of people after returning to the Daming Palace, they found that there were more than 3,000 fewer palace maids!
So from then on, the maids in the palace no longer had the right to parade on the Lantern Festival. After all, if he is slapped in the face by a palace maid again, no emperor can bear such humiliation.
This year, when everyone in Chang'an City was celebrating the Lantern Festival Night, Li Longji watched with great interest the various lights in Chang'an City in front of the Qinzheng Building of Xingqing Palace where he lived.
The various behaviors of the people and the lights of thousands of houses condensed into a beautiful scene of a prosperous age at this moment.
At this time in Chang'an, the city gates of various districts and the east and west cities have been opened, and tourists are flowing continuously in the city. The passionate, unrestrained and confident character of the Tang Dynasty was vividly displayed at this moment.
In the distance, at the entrance to Anfu Gate, the west gate of the south gate of the palace, there is a huge "lantern wheel" with 50,000 lanterns of all kinds lit on it. The outside of the lamp wheel is covered with brocade silk, and in many places there are crystal clear colored glazes hanging on it, making them dazzling under the light.
This "lamp wheel" looks like a towering tree, dozens of feet tall. No matter where you are in Chang'an City, you can see the outline of this lamp wheel as long as you look up.
The singing voices are loud and the dances are graceful below the lamp wheel. A team of hundreds of "tags" form a luxurious lineup of tapers. Wei Qing, who had gone to deliver the news to Fang Chongyong and Zheng Shuqing, was the leader.
Tage is a mass entertainment song and dance activity that uses feet on the ground as a festival, singing and dancing. Participants danced and sang together, which was very lively.
However, although this kind of program is called "Popular", it will definitely not work without a leader.
As a royal institution where the artistic elite of the Tang Dynasty gathered, the Liyuan will naturally not miss national celebrations such as the Lantern Festival. Li Longji sent Wei Qing here to control the scene. Wei Qing had a loud and long voice and played the role of "lead singer". It brought the atmosphere to a climax.
After the singer's performance was over, there was a team of thousands of singers. Under the moonlight, they held hands and stood shoulder to shoulder. They waved their sleeves, bowed their heads, lowered their heads, bent over, and turned around. Their formations kept moving and changing. The long dance goes on and on.
These programs made the people in Chang'an cheer loudly and enjoy themselves.
The lamps and the moon complement each other, lighting up the night in the capital. There are also many acrobatics such as rope plays and pole-wood performances in the city. The products in the east and west markets are dazzling. Pedestrians patronizing them, the sound of bargaining can be heard constantly.
Zheng Shuqing hurriedly wanted to return to Chang'an, just to have fun during the Lantern Festival, but he didn't expect that they still didn't catch up.
Of course Li Longji couldn't see the performances under these lights, but he was still very happy because these things came from the 400,000 yuan sent by Fang Chongyong and Zheng Shuqing. And this money was obtained by Li Longji at the expense of his dignity.
In other words, this is a "treat" for him as the emperor, which makes everyone in Chang'an City feel happy.
Otherwise, without this money, the government would not be able to hire singing girls, build lamp wheels, or buy drinks. This Lantern Festival celebration was much inferior to what it is now.
"Lishi, you see that the Tang Dynasty is flourishing under my rule. Is this grand scene still as you wish?"
Li Longji turned around proudly, pointed at the lights outside the window, and asked Gao Lishi, who was calm and silent behind him.
"A saint is one emperor through the ages, and his achievements are not inferior to those of Emperor Taizong."
Gao Lishi complimented softly.
"Huh, that's natural. I have always followed Taizong as an example. I just want to conquer a big world and let the flag of the Tang Dynasty be planted everywhere.
The shores of Sui Tu are all Tang Tu. "
Li Longji put his hands behind his back and looked at the huge light wheel in the southwest, shining brightly in the night sky, just like the prosperous Kaiyuan era, dazzling.
"Where are my three unworthy sons?"
Li Longji suddenly thought of something, frowned, and sounded very unhappy.
"Back to the Saint, General Chen Xuanli personally led the troops to control the East Palace. Now the Crown Prince, King E and King Guang are all under house arrest in the East Palace. The Crown Princess's brother Xue Xiu is in prison. Xue Xiu has already confessed to inciting the Crown Prince to rebel. The evidence conclusive."
Gao Lishi said calmly.
Li Longji couldn't help but sneer and didn't say a word for a long time.
The prince has not conspired to rebel, so where is the evidence?
Li Longji just wanted to let Prince Li Ying know that no matter how close the family members were, they would say and do things against their will under coercion and inducement. Xue Xiu is Li Ying's brother-in-law. Didn't he confess after being interrogated?
How many people in the world regard death as home?
"Send the file to the East Palace and let my unscrupulous sons have a look." Li Longji waved his hand impatiently.
Seeing that Gao Lishi hadn't left yet, he asked doubtfully: "Why don't you go and deliver the order?"
"The saint has not yet said what to do with the prince, King E, and King Guang, so I dare not go and deliver the decree."
Gao Lishi said respectfully.
Hearing this, Li Longji felt as sick as if he had eaten a fly.
The Thirteenth Prince Li Yan reported that Prince Li Ying had borrowed two thousand pairs of armor. Li Longji had secretly instructed him to do so.
Li Longji also knew in his heart whether the prince, King E and King Guang were really rebelling. These people want to rebel, and they are also secretly contacting and wooing foreign ministers. They are indeed plotting evil.
But if we talk about substantive rebellion, there really is no such thing.
Thinking of this, Li Longji couldn't help but feel guilty. It doesn't matter how the prince behaves, what matters is what he thinks.
Because to Li Longji, it doesn't matter whether the prince has rebelled or not. Whether he wants to rebel or not is the first priority. If Li Ying and the other two kings want to rebel, then they deserve to die. It's that simple.
As for why the prince and the second king wanted to rebel, Li Longji felt that it was enough for him to think so, and there was no need to listen to others jabbering on the sidelines.
For example, Zhang Jiuling always said that "the prince is the foundation of the country".
The other things, such as whether there are witnesses, whether there is evidence, whether the logical chain of the crime is clear, whether the prince was wrongly accused, etc., are all unimportant.
You can even conduct interrogations without any pretense.
"Execute Xue Xiu, hand the file to the crown prince and the second king for inspection, and then let them return to the ten kings' residence to lift the restriction."
Li Longji rubbed his brows tiredly. Gao Lishi turned around to convey the order and breathed a sigh of relief. This ending was much better than he expected.
However, before Gao Lishi could leave his room in the Qinzheng Building, he heard a horrifying sentence coming from behind him.
"Exterminate the Xue family. Except for the prince, the two princes and their heirs, all the relevant people in the houses of the other ten princes, including masters, servants and their families, will be killed!"
Li Longji's order contained no emotion, as if what he was killing was not a human being, but a pig or dog waiting to be slaughtered.
"Well, I'm going to deliver the order right now."
Gao Lishi took a deep breath and quietly left the Qinzheng Building. After walking out, I felt that my heartbeat returned to normal. In his impression, Li Longji has not been so angry for a long time!
Although the four words "Kill them all" are short, they contain a huge amount of information.
The prince and the other two kings' family members and relatives, as well as the servants and concubines in the mansion, except for the children, all the others were left behind.
"It's time to change the prince."
Gao Lishi sighed and muttered to himself.
The nobles are well-dressed and well-fed, but the nobles are walking on thin ice.
If you are not careful at all, your family will be slaughtered, leaving you with no explanation.
The shadow of imperial power hangs over everyone, and no one can get rid of it.
Gao Lishi knew that Li Ying was "innocent", and the so-called "conspiracy of treason" was the same as the "crime of slander" committed by the cruel official Zhang Tang.
You say you don’t, but I think you do in your heart, and that’s fine. I don’t want to hear anything you say, and I don’t need to tell you any evidence.
There is no father and son in the power arena, and the prince is the one who can legitimately replace the emperor. This determines that there cannot be any kind father and son, and also determines that the prince's road will not be smooth sailing. It also proves that those who are close to the prince are extremely important. It is possible that the fish in the pond will be affected.
Who can decide what is right and wrong? Now that you have decided to participate in this game, don’t complain about the cruel rules of the game!
Gao Lishi thought with emotion while taking the eunuchs in the palace to the East Palace. This wave, probably a lot of people will die.
Is power more important or life is more important? This is a question that every powerful person must answer.
For some people, if they have no rights, what’s the point of living? Different people may have different answers.
Gao Lishi came to the East Palace full of thoughts and conveyed the decree to Prince Li Ying and the two kings.
When they heard that they were actually let go, the three princes cried with joy. As for other people in the house being killed innocently, that is not their concern.
If your wife is gone and you marry again, but your life is still alive, then everything is possible.
Li Longji is cruel and ruthless, how can they be compassionate people?
It's just a power game where the big fish eats the small fish.
Human life? Human life is nothing!
Gao Lishi looked at the prince and the second king who were hugging and crying with an expressionless face. For some reason, he felt that they were like three dogs.
Returning to Qinzheng Building, Gao Lishi heard the sound of the piano coming from the room. After entering, Li Longji had changed into a Confucian shirt and was playing with his hands on a guqin. The sound of the piano is sonorous and ferocious with the intention of killing.
Seeing Gao Lishi come in, Li Longji stopped playing and asked softly: "How are the prince and the second king doing?"
"Returning to the saint, I am just crying with joy."
"Go and call Li Guinian, I'll go to the lantern wheel to listen to his music!"
Li Longji stood up in a hurry, patted Gao Lishi on the shoulder very kindly and said.
This gave Gao Lishi the illusion that perhaps the status of Prince Li Ying and other princes in Li Longji's heart was not as good as that of a eunuch like himself.
"Sage, please wait a moment. I will go to the pear garden and ask Li Guinian to go to the lantern wheel at the south gate."
Gao Lishi said respectfully.
"Go quickly, go quickly, I'm feeling itchy and want to play with it! By the way, tell Wei Qing not to leave either."
Li Longji was as excited as a child.
…
"The Lantern Festival, I still missed the Lantern Festival. My Chang'an lanterns are on the Lantern Festival!"
Spring is warm and the flowers are blooming. Sitting on the carriage from "Changle Yi" not far east of Chang'an, Zheng Shuqing keeps nagging and wailing. He has missed the Chang'an Shangyuan Festival, which is a refreshing time of the year, because of the detour. At this moment, Full of regret.
If I had known earlier, I would have taken Wuguan Road. Climbing the mountain would be tiring, but it would not waste time.
"Shijun, can you please stop talking. On the night of Yuan Dynasty, we were almost frozen to death at the inn by the Yellow River. We didn't even have a dog. The lanterns on both sides of the inn were hung like will-o'-the-wisps. This is what you are talking about. The Lantern Festival? It’s not the Ghost Festival, right?”
Fang Chongyong helplessly interrupted Zheng Shuqing and said.
Everyone was talking nonsense in the crowded carriage. The post station on the outskirts of Chang'an was very busy. There was also a drunken scholar crammed in the carriage who was traveling with them, sleeping in a corner. If he doesn't make a fuss, Zheng Shuqing and his party will treat him as if he doesn't exist, and they will continue to talk about whatever they should.
"You kid with a yellow mouth know nothing! Can the Shangyuan Festival in Chang'an compare with the shabby post station by the Yellow River? The parade, the lanterns, the thin and soft waist..."
Zheng Shuqing realized that he had spilled the beans and quickly stopped.
Fang Chongyong seemed to have discovered Hua Dian blindly, coughing slightly and teasingly:
"On Yuan Ye last year, the lights in the flower market were as bright as day. On the willow branches in the moonlight, people made appointments after dusk.
On Yuan Ye this year, the moon and lights are still the same. I don't see the person from last year, and my spring shirt sleeves are wet with tears.
Zheng Shijun, you look serious, but you seem to be very romantic.
Is there a beautiful lady waiting for you on Lantern Festival this year, making you anxious? "
Just as Zheng Shuqing was about to defend himself, the scribe who was sitting in the corner of the carriage because of his hangover sat up like a spring and exclaimed: "What a poem! What a poem! Who wrote it?"
What's going on with you riding a horse?
Fang Chongyong, Zheng Shuqing, and Yan Zhuang all looked at the scribe with puzzled expressions. As for Aduan, who was sitting with the coachman, he obviously couldn't see it. Fang Laique was asleep and didn't know. The originally casual atmosphere in the carriage suddenly became awkward.
"You wrote it?"
The scribe looked at Fang Chongyong and asked.
I wanted to admit it, but it seemed outrageous for a child to write such a poem. Fang Chongyong pointed at Zheng Shuqing and said, "It was written by this envoy. I wonder who your Excellency is..."
"Your Excellency, Li Taibai, may I ask who this Ambassador Zheng is..."
Li Bai?
Fang Chongyong, Zheng Shuqing and others were stunned. This was such a coincidence!
"I, Zheng Shuqing, was the governor of Kuizhou before. Now I have returned to Beijing to report on my duties. I have admired you for a long time."
Realizing that the person in front of him was Li Bai, Zheng Shuqing was embarrassed and took back Fang Chongyong's words.
