The Prodigal Son of Zhenguan

"In the past, when you were in Jingyang County, did you spend the night in Chang'an during the Lantern Festival?" Li Yuan asked.

Li Fu shook his head.

He had only spent two Lantern Festivals in the Tang Dynasty. He was poor at the time, and he only thought about how to live a good life. Anyway, life was tight, so why would he come to Chang'an at night? It was not pleasant to go out in the cold.

So in the past, he always stayed in the manor. This year, it was the first time for him to go out during the Lantern Festival.

"Hahaha, then you have this free time this year, so go out more. There are a total of three days before and after the Lantern Festival. There is no curfew, but it is very lively." Li Yuan laughed.

In the past, when he was still the emperor, he would feast all the ministers in the palace during the Lantern Festival, but he had also seen the prosperity and bustle outside the palace. On the night of the fourteenth day, he also took his favorite concubine and the close ministers around him and secretly went out of the palace to play.

Li Fu chatted with Li Yuan in the palace until the evening. Anyway, there was no curfew, so it didn't matter if it was late.

When he left the palace, it was already late. As night fell, the streets of Chang'an City were no longer as quiet as they were at this time of the past. Instead, they were brightly lit, with people coming and going.

Li Fu lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked outside.

"Wu Liangye, stop the car." Li Fu shouted to the outside.

The carriage slowly stopped by the roadside. Li Fu lifted the curtain and Wu Liangye jumped off the carriage.

"My dear, do you want to get off the carriage and take a walk?"

"Yes, I think it's quite lively outside. It's good to get off the carriage and take a walk and get some fresh air." Li Fu said as he jumped off the carriage: "Let someone drive the carriage and take the group of people behind back. Let's go around outside."

"Yes." Wu Liangye bowed and responded.

In order to bring things to Li Yuan, Li Fu brought a lot of people with him to the palace this time. When Li Fu and Li Yuan were chatting, they had been waiting in Da'an Palace. Now they went out of the palace with Li Fu and returned to Jingyang Wang's residence.

Li Fu wrapped his cloak tightly and strolled on the street.

"Wu Liangye, have you ever been out during the Lantern Festival before?" Li Fu asked.

"Yes, it will be more lively tomorrow night than today." Wu Liangye said.

"Oh, you really have been out." Li Fu was surprised.

There were small vendors on both sides of the street, and people ate meat porridge, silk cages, fire moths, jade beam cakes and other delicacies at the stalls.

"If you want to feel the excitement of the Lantern Festival night, go to Qujiang Lake tomorrow night. Most literati and scholars will gather there, drinking wine by the stream, reciting poems and writing couplets." Wu Liangye said.

"Reciting poems and writing couplets, can you do that?"

Wu Liangye shook his head: "I am stupid and can't do that."

Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, which is also the day for court officials to rest. The court has a fake Ning order for the Lantern Festival.

There are not so many taboos around the Lantern Festival, especially between men and women, and there are not so many restrictions. They can go out at night to play, so the Lantern Festival has become the best time for many infatuated men and women to express their feelings to each other.

Li Fu and Wu Liangye found a meat porridge stall and planned to drink some meat porridge.

It is a custom to drink meat porridge on the Lantern Festival, so there are many vendors selling meat porridge on both sides of the street. In the Southern and Northern Dynasties, meat porridge was used for sacrifices, including "welcoming Zi Gu".

But meat porridge is not said to be a special food for welcoming Zi Gu on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, but it has still become a must-eat delicacy on the Lantern Festival.

Li Fu ate while watching the people coming and going on the street.

It was the Zhenguan year, and the Tang Dynasty was slowly recovering its vitality.

"In the future, Chang'an City will be more lively."

"You are right, my lord. Now the world is peaceful, there is no war, and the people live and work in peace." Wu Liangye echoed Li Fu's words: "In the past few years, although it was also a custom, it was not so lively."

"It's hard to imagine, Wu Liangye, that you would come out to hang out on the Lantern Festival." Li Fu laughed.

"My lord, you are joking. I don't have the blessing to come out to hang out." Wu Liangye responded: "Before, I have always been concentrating on protecting the nobles in secret."

So he came out to perform a mission...

There was nothing to visit on the night of the 14th, and this place was far away from Qujiang Lake. If you really want to see the liveliness of Qujiang Lake, it's best to go to Qujiang Lake tomorrow afternoon and find a pleasure boat moored on the shore.

However, it seems that all the pleasure boats should have been booked at this time.

After eating and drinking outside, the two strolled back to the Jingyang King's House.

At home, Liu Niang also prepared meat porridge, but Li Fu had already eaten it outside.

"Should we keep the meat porridge in the kitchen? If my husband gets hungry in the middle of the night, he will have something to eat." Xiao Tao asked.

"No, I'll rest early today." Li Fu smiled and said, "Let's share the meat porridge in the kitchen. People in the house don't have to work tomorrow. Those who should go out to play can go out and play. Don't be restrained. Even the ministers in the court have a day off, so it's the same in our house. We have a holiday to celebrate the festival!"

"Ah? Everyone is on holiday?" Xiao Tao asked, "Then what about the things in the house..."

"There's not much to do. Nothing is more important than the festival. It's only a day off. It's okay. It's not too late to get busy after the Lantern Festival is over. I heard that on the night of the Lantern Festival, young girls and wives will go out for a walk?"

"Yes, because there is no curfew." Xiao Tao said.

"That's great. Let's all go out and have a look. Maybe we can find our own marriage. There are many maids and servants in our house, but not many are married. And they are still unmarried. How can I let them waste such a good opportunity? So, everyone who should go out should go out tomorrow."

Those who work in the Jingyang Wang's house, don't say they have no money in their pockets. On weekdays, they have a lot of monthly wages, and Li Fu will give them some rewards during festivals.

They still have some money in their hands. At least they don't have to worry about not having money when they go out tomorrow.

"My dear, you are still worried about the lifelong affairs of us servants in the house." Xiao Tao smiled lightly.

"Of course, I can't leave you all old maids and old bachelors. If you have that mind, seize the opportunity, otherwise you will have few opportunities to contact people outside in the house on weekdays."

It can't all be digested internally.

However, internal digestion also has its advantages. If the servants and maids in the family fall in love with each other, get married and have children, they are still family members and are more reliable than those recruited from outside. But after such a long time, there seems to be no sign. Or do these people have to be secretive when they get together?