Although the Lantern Festival is lit from the twelfth day of the first month to the eighteenth, a full seven days, the main lantern on the fifteenth day of the first month has always been the most lively day of the year in Beijing.

In addition to the Donghua Gate in the inner city to the Dong'an Gate in the outer city, and then all the way to several streets and alleys near the alley of the Dengshi Hutong, dignitaries and large families will also set up lanterns on this day, and even light the lantern tower.

That is, Yingzong Ruizong to the current emperor these years, the wealth of the people has grown, but the atmosphere of comparison and extravagance among the dignitaries has been repeatedly suppressed by the three sons of heaven, and the scale of the lamp tower is strictly limited to two floors, so the majority of magnates and big families can only compete in the design of the lamp tower, ingenuity, and it can be regarded as a visual feast of this era for the people of the capital.

Therefore, on the night of the Shangyuan Festival, the fire trees and silver flowers never sleep, and every household often pours out of the nest, and the government is naturally like a great enemy in order to maintain law and order. In addition to the Shuntian Mansion and the Daxing Wanping Second County Ya and the third class of the Ya San, all the officers were dispatched, and the Rui Cavalry Battalion was also on duty in the city, although there were many theft lawsuits, but there were many cases such as brawls and abductions.

And on this year's Shangyuan Festival, Zhang Shou received an invitation from Zhu Ying to see the lights a few days earlier. Although he had seen countless more colorful night scenes in various skyscrapers and mountaintop observation platforms, he was actually not interested in watching the lanterns, but the beauty had an appointment, so he naturally agreed, and came to the Zhao Guogong Mansion in the evening to pick up people.

However, when he saw Zhu Ying, he couldn't help but look up and down at her new clothes - a black cloak, a gorgeous red brocade embroidered peony jacket, a brown and yellow mink rabbit, a long golden hairpin, a string of round South China Sea pearls in the phoenix's mouth, and a jewel phoenix dotted with a neck collar.

Zhang Shou smiled and looked at it for a moment, and then stepped forward: "When you came out, I thought that the fairy concubine in the painting had arrived in the world!" Are you dressed up more luxuriously than usual, do you want to keep everyone on the street stunned? ”

Zhu Ying was looking forward to going side by side with Zhang Shou to enjoy the lanterns, but when she heard this, she couldn't help but look at Zhang Shou's seemingly ordinary green shirt, which was trimmed but secretly embroidered with green bamboo, and was excited and happy: "Ah Shou, you yourself are the immortals in the sky!" Fortunately, you don't dress up, if you are also dressed so eye-catching, the big girls and little daughters-in-law on the street don't look at the lights and only look at you! ”

She said and said with a smile: "The second brother just said that there are many people in the lamp market, and if I wear it out like this, maybe some people will think that I have met a fat sheep...... Hehe, he doesn't want to think about it, I brought a full thirty guards today! I just want to dress up in jewelry, but I want to see who dares to beat our ideas, come one to death, come two to kill a pair! ”

came a domineering declaration, seeing that Mother Li, who sent herself out, was angry and funny, and beckoned the guards on the side to go out to prepare the carriage and horses, Zhu Ying came to Zhang Shou, but whispered: "Ah Shou, you don't know, today in Qingning Palace, the Queen Mother issued a decree and received the queen's palace seal!" The queen naturally cried and complained about being wronged, but the emperor showed a lot of evidence of the queen's mother's family. ”

Although Zhang Shou felt that the previous inexplicable assassination was not like the queen's handiwork, he was not sure in the end, not to mention, he had been pitted by the mother and son more than once, although it was not that he had not counterattacked the other party, but in the end, because of the identity of the other party, he couldn't go too far. Now that he heard the news revealed by Zhu Ying, he was naturally in a pretty good mood.

And looking at Zhu Ying, who was chirping like a happy bird, he felt that his whole person was a little lighter.

He naturally took her hand with a smile and walked straight out: "It's not too early, let's go quickly!" By the way, after watching the lights, we will also learn from others, go to the food stalls, see what delicious snacks there are, and at least eat a few different Lantern Festivals and come back, how about it? ”

"Good!" Zhu Ying looked at the hands held tightly by the two, the corners of her mouth were raised high, her mood was overjoyed, and she couldn't help but say, "Ah Shou, my family has also set up a lantern tower in the alley of Dengshi, I will take you to see it in a while, and I just put it over today!" ”

Zhang Shou agreed in his mouth, but he had some other thoughts in his heart, so he naturally ignored the eyes around him when he pulled Zhu Ying all the way out of Qing'an Hall, and he didn't even pay attention to Zhu Tingfang's gaze. When he got out of the gate and got on the horse, he found that in addition to Zhu Hong and the usual familiar guards, there were really many fresh faces, and he smiled at Zhu Ying at the moment.

"With so many people following, it was really eye-catching that we walked through the light market."

"So what? Are we still afraid of people looking at us? Zhu Ying didn't wear a hooded cloak, and her face was full of energy at this time, "I'm just going to bring so many people to swagger through the market, and those sneaky guys who have the ability to come out and fight with us?" ”

Zhang Shou was immediately happy: "How can others have such courage, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the soldiers of all provinces and the soldiers and horses of all parties were already heavily guarded, and in the face of such a big battle between the two of us, we definitely didn't dare to come to make trouble!" ”

"That's it, besides, there's Ah Liu!" Zhu Ying habitually mentioned the young man again, but then she couldn't help but look left and right, and then asked suspiciously, "What about Ah Liuren?" Isn't he going to see the lights with us today? ”

Zhang Shou said casually: "It's rare Lantern Festival, knowing that you will definitely bring enough people out today, I will give him a day off." "Actually, that kid was ruthless two days ago because of the assassin's relationship, saying that he was going to find those snake "theories". As for the outcome of the theory, to be honest, he didn't really want to know......

Although Zhu Ying was a little curious about Ah Liu's whereabouts, she didn't care too much when she heard Zhang Shou say this. When Zhu Hong and Zhang Shou's mount came over, she saw Zhang Shou turn over and get on the horse, and she jumped on the back of the horse with a neat movement, and then rode over to walk side by side with Zhang Shou, and then smiled: "Ah Shou, your equestrian skills are much stronger than before!" ”

"Yes, I think even if I got on the horse at the beginning, I couldn't go up without Ah Liu's support. And I trembled at every turn, for fear that my mount would kick me off. ”

Zhang Shou made no secret of his inferior riding skills - in fact, he is not much better now, he doesn't dare to gallop at all, if the horse speed is too fast and he falls down, is it difficult for him to have Ah Liu perform flying on the street to save?

Zhu Ying immediately laughed happily when she heard this, shook the reins of the mount and rushed forward, saying as she walked: "Your horse is the most docile royal horse in the palace, the most docile, not to mention the sneering, even if you hear a loud noise, you won't be surprised." ”

Zhang Shou let the mount take him slowly, listening to Zhu Ying explain that the imperial horse in the palace wants to be docile and obedient, not something that runs fast and unruly, and then extends from the imperial horse to the military horse, and finally sighs that if he encounters the kind of fierce horse when Wu Zetian tamed the horse for Emperor Taizong, he must release it back to the grassland and let it be free......

At the gate of Zhao Guogong's Mansion, Zhu Tingfang watched the man and woman gradually travel away surrounded by many guards, and his face was like the sky that was gradually darkening at this time, which was really not good-looking.

And Li's mother, who saw his mood, smiled and said: "The eldest son, the male should marry, the female should marry, the eldest lady has always been above the top, but she fell in love with Shou Gongzi at first sight, plus the two families have already made a marriage contract, this is the best marriage." What's more, Shou Gongzi is also sincere to the eldest lady, otherwise Mrs. Tai and Mrs. Tai would not have recognized him so quickly. ”

Zhu Tingfang was still staring at the end of the road in front of the door, even though Zhu Ying and Zhang Shou and his party were no longer visible, but he looked at it persistently for a while, but he didn't pay attention to Li's mother's words, and turned around and walked back silently.

Of course, he knew that what Mother Li said was the truth, and Zhu Ying was deeply affectionate, which could be seen from her words and deeds in the face of Zhang Shou. And of course he can see that at least for now, Zhang Shou does have a lot of affection for Zhu Ying, and the look in Zhu Ying's eyes can't help but remind him of the scene when his father looked at his stepmother. But the more this happened, the more uneasy he felt.

The stepmother and father had almost broken off their relationship before, and this quarrel was sixteen years, and he could not tolerate his sister repeating the same mistake again. However, the conflict between the father and the stepmother is at least not because the father is empathetic. Moreover, my father has not been in charge of the military for many years, and on the surface, he does not ask about state affairs, and others seem to be just a respected prince, but Zhang Shou is different.

Although Zhang Shou's status is low now, he is clearly long-sleeved and good at dancing, very good at getting along with people, and more importantly, he has real talent and learning, so he is deeply appreciated by the emperor. Although the emperor likes Yingying's niece very much now, it is not impossible that Zhang Shou will be more important in the future, so that he will help Zhang Shou when there is a discord between the husband and wife.

Marrying a man who is too good on the outside but also commensurate with his appearance on the inside is not always a good thing!

Even when Zhu Ying came back that day, her eyebrows and eyes were full of joy to tell him that Zhang Shou confided in him. He believed that Zhang Shou should be sincere when he said this, but he was hard to believe that people could maintain this sincerity for the rest of their lives.

Thinking of this, Zhu Tingfang suddenly stopped, and then didn't look at Mother Li behind him, and suddenly turned around and walked out again, but went straight to the stable of the South Courtyard. When he untied his usual mount and then trotted out of the south gate, Li's mother, who had just been in a bad mood, was going to chase after her, but after running out two steps, she finally stopped.

The lamp market is so big, not to mention that the eldest prince may not be able to catch up with the eldest lady and Shou Gongzi, what else can he do? At most, it's just an eyesore among the pair of children who have deep feelings for each other. The eldest prince has been strong and cold since he was a child, but he has never been able to pass the level of the eldest lady, let alone break up her wishful marriage.

When night completely fell, Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying were already standing in the sea of countless colored lights in the alley of Dengshi. Although these lamps are all colored paper or silk silk pasted on the outside to show their colors, Zhang Shou is still quite impressed by the exquisite shapes of those skilled craftsmen.

Especially when Zhu Ying raised his hand to signal him to look at the huge peony lantern on the lantern tower not far away, he saw the stretched peony petals, and saw the various flower-shaped lanterns in the two-story lantern tower dotted around, just like the stars and the moon, he couldn't help laughing: "Only the peony is really the color of the country, and the flowers move the capital when they bloom." Yingying, is that your light tower? ”

"Yes!" Zhu Ying smiled and her eyebrows danced, "I like peonies the most, so my grandmother promised me to be the king of peony lamps this year." ”

She paused, then turned her head to look at Zhang Shou and said, "Ah Shou, Tang Shi, I like the Spring River Flower Moon Night the most, so I have always kept the oil-paper umbrella you gave me." But other than that, I like Yoo Yuxi's "Peony Appreciation" the most. But I only like the second half, and I don't like the first two. Because to praise peonies, it is not necessary to belittle peonies and lotuses. ”

Zhu Ying's eyes were bright and clear, as if she was not appreciating Tang poems, but appreciating herself: "The reason why the peony is so beautiful is not because other flowers are not good enough, but because she is the best, so it is the true national color, so it is the season when the flowers move the capital!" ”

When he first heard Zhu Ying frankly say that he liked the moonlit night in the Spring River the most, Zhang Shou couldn't help but feel a move in his heart, and when he heard that she actually treasured the oil-paper umbrella that he casually gave her to shade the sun, his mood was even more subtle. After all, he was actually very cold to her at that time.

However, when she commented on Peony's words, he was deeply moved.

He looked into her eyes and smiled slightly: "Yingying, do you know that when you just proudly said why the peony is so beautiful, it is really bright, and even these colored lights have lost their color?" ”

"Really?" Zhu Ying's head tilted slightly, and the smile on her face deepened, "I also think Ah Shou, you look better than these lanterns!" Today we enjoy the lanterns, and let the lanterns reward us! ”

Zhu Hong, who was on guard at any time, was followed by him, even if he restrained himself, his ear power was too good, he still heard every word of Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying clearly, and he couldn't help but blush.

Miss's words are too bold! Can't she be a little more modest?

However, Zhu Ying's words were only half right. In tonight's positive light, the lanterns who can't speak naturally can't come to appreciate them, but those who appreciate the lanterns are also admiring her and Zhang Shou by the way. Among them, some people just look quietly, and some people point unscrupulously. Fortunately, Zhu Hong and the other thirty guards had a strong deterrent power, but no one dared to approach.

As for the suspicious people, of course, they can't even take five steps around this pair of beautiful people.

Zhu Tingfang, who was following behind on horseback, had to work hard to line up the crowd to move forward at this time. If it weren't for his consistent temperament still firmly holding the upper hand, if he was replaced by the eldest brother who only thought about his sister in another family, he was afraid that he would directly use a horsewhip to drive away the crowd.

Even so, when he saw the two of them leaving through the exit of the light market near Dong'anmen, but they did not plan to go home, but visited the food stalls that the emperor had set up here, his mood was even worse.

The food at home is extremely exquisite, but Zhu Ying is often picky. God knows if the raw materials are cleaned, God knows if the people who make them have washed their hands, and God knows if they wear masks that insulate the breath, how can they eat indiscriminately...... What to do if you eat a bad stomach!

Zhang Shou naturally didn't know that the future eldest brother was already crazy there. He took Zhu Ying to walk over one stall after another, and when he found that there were three floors inside and three floors outside, Zhu Ying couldn't help but curiously pull him in. He had no choice but to follow her. When he came to the front and saw the man who was busy with his work, he simply thought that he had read it wrong.

Fu Tian said

Please wait for the first and second shifts...... I originally wanted to change it alone, because there are a lot of things today, but look at the content of these two chapters, and then think about whether the next chapter is the last chapter of this volume, or whether it is a change today, please wait for me for half an hour