After the palace banquet, it was time to select the lanterns.
Everyone held their own lamps and moved to the plum garden in the palace.
Since ancient times, the Lantern Festival has meant men and women looking at each other.
It only snowed in the capital yesterday, and now the snowy scene with red plum trees has a special mood and the atmosphere is just right.
Those young gentlemen and ladies can also take the opportunity of selecting lanterns to see who they like.
There are also wives of princes and ministers who will look at the lanterns of girls from various families and have some thoughts in their hearts.
Although it won't lead to an engagement just because of a lamp, it can still give a glimpse of the girl's character.
There were only a few palace lanterns lit sporadically in the Plum Garden, and everyone lit up the lanterns in their hands one after another.
For a time, all kinds of lanterns complement each other like a lantern festival.
Everyone can move around freely, look at each other's lanterns, and choose whose lantern they think is better.
This was Chu Siqing's idea.
At that time, she said to Emperor Chu Ming: "Uncle Huang, I think we can vote on whose lantern is better, and it must be anonymous."
Emperor Chu Ming said thoughtfully: "This idea is quite novel. Si Qing, please explain it in detail."
Chu Siqing said: "Give everyone at the banquet a special piece of paper, and write the name of the person who chooses the lamp."
"Then collect the slips of paper together and count them in public. Whoever has the most votes will give the prize to him, Uncle Huang."
This selection is anonymous, which eliminates the possibility of having to make a choice against one's will due to feelings.
It is also a roll-call statistics in public, which is fair and impartial, and no one will question the selection results.
Thinking this was a good idea, Emperor Chu Ming agreed.
Not only that, he also used this method in other matters later.
When it comes time to select the lanterns in the palace, everyone first receives a piece of paper. If the paper is lost, it will be regarded as abstaining from voting.
After you have the lantern you like, you can go to the eunuch Feng Zhonglin and write the name of the owner of the lantern with pen and ink.
Eunuch Feng was responsible for collecting these anonymous notes, and after everyone had finished writing, he began to count the votes.
Chu Siqing held the hand of her mother-in-law and walked through the crowd carrying lanterns, dazzled by the sight.
Some people put great effort into the appearance of lanterns.
For example, those lanterns made in the shape of flowers and animals have different shapes and are all lifelike.
Plum blossom lantern, orchid lantern, butterfly lantern, lion lantern, crab lantern, shrimp lantern...
Among these lamps, Chu Siqing likes the shrimp lamp the most.
This shrimp lantern is so vivid that it not only resembles real shrimps in spirit and shape, but also has rich and harmonious colors.
The joint frame of the lamp can also be moved, and has two states: curled up and stretched.
Even the shrimp tentacles are light and elegant, and the two pliers can really hold things.
The owner of the shrimp lantern is Shen Liuyun, the youngest son of the Minister of Civil Affairs.
It is said that Shen Liuyun also has some reputation in the capital, but it is not a good reputation, but a reputation as a playboy who does not do his job properly.
The Minister of Civil Affairs was known as a strict father, and two of his three sons were well-motivated in their studies. Only the youngest son was naughty and mischievous all day long and only loved to have fun with his friends.
Han Nanxing and Shen Liuyun have similar personalities, and Shen's father regards them as one of his youngest son's best friends.
After being able to move around freely, Shen Liuyun got together with him early in the morning.
Han Nanxing was holding a monkey lantern. When they met, he swung the monkey lantern under his crotch and said happily: "Watch my move, the monkey steals the peach!"
Shen Liuyun had already anticipated the move that would harm his friend, so he dodged it with a slight dodge.
"Little thief, let's see how I punish you!"
The next moment, he held the lamp with both hands and commanded the shrimp lamp's two large pliers to pinch Han Nanxing's butt.
"Ouch! You dirty bastard! Let me go quickly..."
Han Nanxing was caught unprepared, and with a squeak, he jumped to attack Shen Liuyun.
The people around me couldn't help but laugh.
Only the official minister had a dark face.
snort! Two guys who are not doing their jobs properly!
Chu Siqing was also amused and couldn't help but said to Princess Yu: "This shrimp lantern is so fun, it even pinched the second uncle's butt..."
Princess Yu also frowned, but she covered it up with a handkerchief.
She also lowered her head and said to her daughter: "Siqing, there are some words that we can't say out loud."
Not only the buttocks, but also cucumbers, chrysanthemums, etc. in your mind, are all indecent, okay? !
Princess Yu was reminding her daughter in a subtle way.
However, Chu Siqing didn't care.
Didn't she just talk her ass?
Is there anyone in the world who hasn’t grown a butt yet?
However, she thought that this was ancient times and people's ideas were still relatively conservative, so she said obediently: "Okay."
Chu Siqing took another look at the shrimp lantern and thought to herself: "This Shen Liuyun is a good candidate for the Ministry of Industry!" 】
She just muttered something casually in her mind, but the official minister beside her seemed to have some understanding.
Could it be that he had been mistaking his youngest son all along?
Liu Yun is not a playboy or an idiot, maybe he just trained in the wrong direction...
The Minister of the Ministry of Personnel had a great enlightenment and decided to let his son take a different path when he returned.
In addition to working hard on the appearance, there are also people who pay attention to the material of the lanterns.
Most of the people coming to the banquet today are princes and ministers, so naturally they are not short of money.
For example, Mrs. Chengen brought a carp lantern decorated with various gemstones.
The scales of this carp lantern are inlaid with thin slices of red, yellow and white agate, and the fish eyes are also inlaid with two pearls.
And Mrs. Zhen Guo, as if she was going to compete with Mrs. Cheng En, she held up a pomegranate lantern.
The lamp is made of jade leaves, and the pomegranate seeds are set with peach blossom jade beads.
They all look gorgeous, but they don’t feel novel.
Chu Siqing prefers lanterns with craftsmanship over materials.
For example, Queen Yinmeng, the censor of Zuodu, who attended the banquet today, made a boneless plum blossom lantern.
As the name suggests, this boneless lantern has no skeleton and is made entirely of pieces of paper.
The lamp surface is embroidered with embroidery needles and used different techniques to embroider the required patterns.
After the lantern is lit, the candlelight will reveal a clear pattern through the fine pinholes, and there will be no shadow on the lantern.
There are also fancy lamps, which are also very attractive.
Like a revolving lantern, it has always been popular.
In fact, a wheel is placed in the lamp, and the heat generated by the lit candle pushes the paper to rotate, showing different patterns.
There was also Mr. Zhang, the Minister of Industry, who brought a rolling lantern.
This lamp is not only colorful, but even more strange is that no matter how he throws it or rolls it around, the candles in the lamp will not go out.
Many people were amazed to see it.
The most eye-catching thing is the beauty lamp of Liu Huizhou, the son of the general of the auxiliary state.
Mr. Liu's skill in making beauty lanterns is simply superb.
I saw that the beauty's posture was extremely elegant, and her beautiful face was endlessly soft.
What's even more amazing is that this beauty can also blink. When she opens her eyes, she seems to be alive.
There is a hint of melancholy in her eyes, which makes people want to take care of her.
Chu Siqing felt familiar at first sight and couldn't help but gossip in her heart.
[This, isn’t this what Mr. Liu’s brother-in-law looks like in women’s clothing? 】
