Chapter 350: Thousands of Flowers Blooming at Night (1)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Drip, drip, drip!
Fine raindrops sprinkled on the main street in the center of the city. The faint light emitted by the pavilions on both sides of the street was dyed by the rain and mist, making the entire street dreamlike. People could even see the reflection of pedestrians and street scenes on the ground.
Ye Jingtang was holding an oil-paper umbrella and covering Third Lady’s head while appreciating the rainy scenery, which was completely different from the capital’s. His tense heartstrings when he had been running in the Wu Mountains over the past few days slowly turned into contentment at this moment.
The Prince of Wu’s rebellion had caused a huge mess. The people in the city had been afraid that the Prince of Wu would seal the city and trap them, so many of them had fled from the city. But since the imperial guards arrived, the situation had stabilized, and many people had returned to the city. Currently, stores were opening one after another. Although the city wasn’t as prosperous as usual, the rainy streets and empty alleys still had a certain charm.
Today, they came out to mingle with the people incognito. It could also be said that they came out to shop incognito.
Dongfang Liren was wearing a noble’s robe. Other than her overdeveloped chest muscles, she was very handsome in other aspects. Holding a folding fan, she looked like a handsome tree in the wind.
The empress dowager had naturally dressed up as her mother with a maidservant behind her. Her clothes were very mature and charming, but her big eyes and delicate face made her look more like Dongfang Liren’s sister.
Daoist Xuanji was the most special. She had dressed up as an unmarried scholarly lady and was her disciple’s little lover. She was wearing a white muslin dress and holding a flower umbrella in her hand. She looked very suitable with Dongfang Liren while walking beside her. Anyone who saw them would say that they were a perfect match.
Ye Jingtang was also wearing a noble’s robe, and his appearance was too eye-catching. If he were closer, he would be mistaken for either Daoist Xuanji’s lover or the little puppy raised by the empress dowager. It was a little inappropriate, so he kept a distance and followed behind with Third Lady.
The few of them came out to play with the empress dowager. The empress dowager had been cooped up in the palace for too long. Whenever she encountered something, she would stare at it for a while. However, her mood didn’t improve. Instead, she became more and more melancholic. She should be recalling her carefree days when she was a young lady in Jiang Province.
Pei Xiangjun was dressed as a little wife and leaned against Ye Jingtang. When she saw Daoist Xuanji and the princess counseling the empress dowager, she sighed and whispered, “The empress dowager is so pitiful. Before she even arrived in the capital, the late emperor passed away. The imperial consorts and palace maids of the late emperor’s era were allowed to leave the palace after the empress ascended the throne. Those with children went to their fiefs to enjoy life. Those without children returned to their hometowns and remarried. Only the empress dowager couldn’t leave. The empress doesn’t have any consorts in the harem, so the empress dowager lives alone in the harem. Just thinking about that kind of life is depressing…”
Ye Jingtang had been to the harem many times and knew the empress dowager’s suffering. Although she looked quirky and playful and held grudges, she could only see outsiders a few times a year and encounter a few matters. If he were imprisoned like this with nothing to do all day long, he would probably have climbed over the wall and flown away.
Holding the oil-paper umbrella, Ye Jingtang walked with the Third Lady. Seeing that Dumdum was only talking about historical stories and didn’t know how to please the lady, he thought for a moment and searched left and right…
“This bridge has been here for thirty years. When the Great Ancestor conquered Rising Sun City, he felt inspired here and wrote a poem…”
On the bridge spanning both sides of the long street, Dongfang Liren fanned herself gently and recounted the various deeds during the founding of the country. Seeing that there were no passersby around, Daoist Xuanji took off the wine gourd from behind her waist and leaned against the railing carved with stone lions to drink.
The empress dowager stood under an umbrella and appreciated the beautiful night scenery of the city. She looked like she was listening carefully to Dongfang Liren’s story, but she was not very interested.
After all, the empress dowager came from a family of generals. Although her martial arts skills couldn’t be said to be outstanding, it didn’t stop her from having poor literary talent. When she heard those teachers talk about historical stories, her head hurt.
But no matter how bored she was, it was still interesting to be able to see the scenic spots and attractions in a foreign land compared to staying alone in the palace in a daze. The empress dowager had no intention of returning to the estate. She only looked around, searching for something that could pique her interest.
After looking for a while, the empress dowager suddenly saw Ye Jingtang from the corner of her eye. He was walking over from the street with two boxes and a mysterious expression. She couldn’t help asking curiously, “Ye Jingtang, where did you go?”
“I went to buy something.” Ye Jingtang carried the boxes to the bridge and opened one of them. There were lanterns inside, and some had Mid-Autumn Festival blessings on them.
The empress dowager was stunned. She covered her chest and looked at them. “There’s still a month before the Mid-Autumn Festival. Where did you find them?”
“The red and white festival store on the street. These things were all prepared in advance. They just started making them, and there were this many. 1 bought them all.”
“Oh…”
When Daoist Xuanji saw the empress dowager bending over and looking at the lanterns like a little girl, she found her round butt quite attractive. Her old habit acted up again, so she went over to her and secretly squeezed it.
The empress dowager hurriedly stood up straight and pinched Daoist Xuanji’s waist before continuing to watch Ye Jingtang fiddle with a lantern.
Ye Jingtang took out a small flower lantern from inside a box, hung it on a pole, placed a candle inside, and handed it to the empress dowager, who had sparkling eyes. “Here.”
The empress dowager blinked and took the small lantern with a smile. Hongyu took out a flame stick and helped light it..
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