Chapter 158: Watching the Lanterns on Shangyuan Festival (Part 1)

Li Qing’an stepped outside and saw Mingzhu looking extremely anxious. He smiled and said, “Mingzhu, how did you know I was here?”
Finally having found Li Qing’an, Mingzhu was overjoyed. She rushed over, grabbed his arm, and said, “I’ve been looking for you everywhere all afternoon. I guessed you might be here, and sure enough, I was right!”
“Why are you looking for me?”
“Oh, my silly big brother! Have you forgotten what day it is? It’s Shangyuan Night! Such a great opportunity—don’t you want to go watch the lanterns with my sister?”
“Was it your sister who sent you?”
“Her!” Mingzhu pouted. “With her thin skin, even if she really wants to, she’ll never say it outright. Only I can go in her place.”
Li Qing’an glanced at the sky; it was already getting late. He smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll go to your house right now.”
Mingzhu was overjoyed that he agreed to accompany her sister to watch the lanterns. She quickly said, “No! We can’t go like that. If you go and invite her directly, she’ll definitely be too shy to say yes. I’ve already thought of it—wait for us in front of our neighborhood’s entrance. Then it’ll seem like we met by chance, and she won’t have anything to say.”
Seeing how thoughtful she was, Li Qing’an shook his head and smiled. “You really go to a lot of trouble, little sister. It’s settled—we’ll have fun together tonight. Don’t walk away on purpose.”
“If you don’t mind me being around, I’ll follow you.”
Mingzhu giggled, turned around, and ran off. Her voice came from afar, “Wait for us at the entrance of Wuben Neighborhood in one hour.”
…
The 14th day of the first lunar month is the eve of Shangyuan Festival, which is today’s Yuanxiao Festival. In the Tang Dynasty, Shangyuan Festival was an extremely grand and lively celebration. Unlike Yuanri, which marked the beginning of the year and was a time for agricultural sacrifices, community sacrifices, sacrifices to heaven, and ancestors—each with a specific purpose—Shangyuan Festival was purely a festive and joyful occasion. With lanterns as the centerpiece, the whole country celebrated, making it the carnival of the Tang Dynasty.
At the same time, Shangyuan Festival was also the Valentine’s Day of the Tang Dynasty. With the moon hanging above the willow branches, lovers would meet after dusk to express their feelings. Couples would tie the knot on this night, vowing to stay together through life, preferring to be like mandarin ducks rather than envy immortals.
The Shangyuan Night of the eighth year of Tianbao became even more grand and lively due to the victory in the Longyou Campaign. The imperial court issued a special decree allowing the neighborhood gates to remain open for three nights during Shangyuan Festival, so that the people could enjoy themselves.

On Zhuque and Chunming Streets, lanterns stretched for miles on end. There were lanterns in every neighborhood and street, in front of every household, and in the hands of visitors—shimmering with emerald light and vibrant colors. The entire Chang’an seemed immersed in an ocean of lights.

Every year on the Lantern Festival, Du Gu Mingyue would go out to see the lanterns with her sisters from her clan. But this year was different. Even as dusk fell, she began to get dressed carefully. She sat in front of the bronze mirror, applying makeup meticulously: first a layer of white powder, then rouge, followed by eyebrow painting, floral decorations on her forehead, dots on her cheeks, slanted red marks on her temples, and finally lip color. It was already getting dark.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her reflection was dazzling and radiant, like a peony of heavenly beauty. Satisfied, she picked up a green feather hairpin and inserted it diagonally into her updo.

“Sis, are you ready?”
Mingzhu pushed the door open and urged her, “Hurry up! It’s already dark.”
Mingzhu hadn’t bothered to dress up today. She still wore her red dress from earlier, with her twin-looped hairstyle, unadorned with makeup except for a light touch of eyebrow paint. Anxiously, she said, “The agreed time has passed, but you’re still taking your time getting ready. It’s not like this in previous years.”
Mingyue glanced at her and smiled. “Why are you in such a hurry? The lantern festival won’t end anytime. What does it matter if we go a little later?”
“It matters a lot! Go now! If we don’t hurry, Zhao Xuming will be here again.” Mingzhu grabbed her sister’s hand and pulled her along.
“Wait! I still need to put on some accessories.” She opened the ivory jewelry box on her dressing table, which contained rings, bracelets, armlets, jade pendants, sachets, and other essential ornaments.
Mingzhu paced anxiously. Putting on all these would take at least another fifteen minutes. “Sis, I beg you! It’s not like we’re getting married. Why be so fussy? If we don’t go now, he’ll leave.”
“Him?” Mingyue’s face turned red instantly. Pretending to be confused, she asked, “Who is he?”
Mingzhu had blurted it out and decided not to hide it anymore. She said, “He wants to come and invite you. I told him not to, but my sister is too shy and will surely refuse to go. So he’s waiting for you at the entrance to the neighborhood. The agreed time has long passed, and I was worried he might not wait for you, so I went out to see the lanterns by myself. If I run into those girls like Cui Liuli and Cui Ningbi… Sis, go now! I’m dying of worry.”
“I didn’t ask him to wait for me. It’s his business who he wants to go see the lanterns with.”
Du Gu Mingyue spoke nonchalantly, but she slammed the jewelry box shut, stood up, and said with a smile, “Look how anxious you are. I think you really want to go see the lanterns with him!”

Mingzhu had her thoughts guessed, and she blushed, saying, “Sis, what are you talking about? If that’s the case, I won’t go. He’ll be waiting for you at the entrance of the town.”
“Silly girl, let’s go!”
Dugu Mingyue took her sister by the hand and hurried out. Just as they reached the outer courtyard, someone called after them, “Mingyue, Mingzhu!”
It was a lady in palace robes, around forty years old. Though middle-aged, she still looked radiant, allowing one to imagine her beauty in youth. She was the sisters’ mother, Lady Pei, daughter of Pei Zunqing. She had married Dugu Hao over twenty years ago and gave birth to a son and three daughters. The eldest son, Dugu Yu, passed the imperial examinations last year and became the clerk of Ye County in Hebei. He didn’t return for the New Year this year. The eldest daughter, Mingjing, was made a princess and married into the Khitans, only to die tragically at their hands—this was Lady Pei’s greatest sorrow.
The youngest daughter, Mingzhu, though already fifteen, still acted like a child and wasn’t worried about anything. Her main concern was her second daughter, Mingyue’s, marriage. Mingyue was seventeen this year. Though not yet old, she was gentle and polite, appearing more mature than most of her peers, and it was time for her to get married. Initially, Mingyue’s grandfather, fearing his granddaughter would be chosen for marriage again, hastily arranged a meeting with a soldier named Li Qing’an. Lady Pei happened to be away at the time. When she heard about it later, she shook her head repeatedly—how could her daughter marry an officer? Even if it were an officer, one with a noble background would be better; this man had no such background, which displeased her.
Among all the young men who came to propose, she took a liking to Zhao Xuming, the third-place winner in last year’s exams. He was young, talented, well-educated, and of good character. As for official matters, she didn’t care much. The key was that Zhao Xuming was the legitimate son of the prestigious Zhao family of Qinzhou, matching the Dugu family’s status. Lady Pei, who placed great importance on family background, especially valued this. Coupled with Zhao Xuming’s deep affection for her daughter, she was considering how to persuade her daughter when, unexpectedly, a sensational incident occurred last night in Chang’an. Li Qing’an, jealous for his own daughter, even drew his sword—shocking and angering Lady Pei. With Li Qing’an acting like this, who would dare to propose?
“Where are you two going?” Lady Pei asked with a smile.
“Mom, we want to go see the lanterns!”
“Oh! Just the two of you? I mean, have you made any plans?”
“No! Not at all!” Mingzhu denied it immediately.
“That’s good!”
Seeing that Mingyue was dressed beautifully, Lady Pei nodded and smiled. “Mingyue, Young Master Zhao was here just now. He’s waiting for you in the guest room! Let him accompany you to see the lanterns tonight!”

Moonlight was stunned. “Mother, which Lord Zhao?”
“Who else could it be? It’s Zhao Xuming, who has been deeply in love with you! He’s been waiting for you for a long time. Go now!”
Pearl spoke quickly, saying, “Mother, Sister hates that Zhao guy the most.”
“Shut up!”
Madam Pei’s face darkened immediately. She slowly walked up to her daughter and asked, “Moonlight, are you not even listening to your mother?”
“Mother, I…”
Moonlight was in extreme pain. Just as Pearl was about to speak, Madam Pei glared at her fiercely, scaring her into silence. Madam Pei smiled and spoke gently to Moonlight, “Moonlight, I know you’ve always been obedient. Although Zhao Xuming seems a bit delicate, he’s the legitimate son of a prominent family, on par with our Du Gu family. Moreover, he was the third-place winner in the imperial examinations, with a bright future ahead. He’s also highly learned and polite in speech—doesn’t he fit the image of the scholar you’ve always admired? I believe that as you spend more time together, feelings will develop. Don’t be willful. Listen to your mother, okay?”
At that moment, Zhao Xuming suddenly came out from behind the courtyard gate and bowed deeply to Du Gu Moonlight. “Miss Moonlight, I apologize for my rude behavior last night!”
He had been hiding behind the gate, having heard Madam Pei’s words. He was overjoyed to find that someone in the Du Gu family supported him—especially Moonlight’s mother, a powerful figure. His hopes soared. Having seen Moonlight dressed beautifully that day, he was already captivated and couldn’t help but come out from behind the gate.
Madam Pei glanced at him. Seeing his elegant and handsome appearance, as well as his polite demeanor, she grew even more fond of him. She took Moonlight’s hand and said with a smile, “Go! I hope you have a pleasant time today.”
“Mother, I’m sorry!”
Moonlight broke free from her mother’s hand and ran back inside. Pearl hurried after her.
“Moonlight! Moonlight!” Madam Pei called out twice, but Moonlight refused to turn around.
Left with no choice, Madam Pei apologized to Zhao Xuming, “Lord Zhao, I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright! It’s alright! An elder like you shouldn’t apologize to a younger one. A few old classmates are also planning to meet me today, and I’m going to watch the lanterns with them.”
With that, he bowed deeply again and said sincerely, “Thank you very much for your understanding, Madam. I’m deeply grateful.”
Seeing his courtesy and sense of propriety, Madam Pei felt even more apologetic. She asked, “Lord Zhao, do you have any elders in Chang’an?”
Zhao Xuming was momentarily stunned. Then he realized what she meant and exclaimed happily, “Yes! Yes! My uncle is in Chang’an. I’ll go discuss this with him right away.”

“There’s no need to rush. Let’s talk about it after the Shangyuan Festival. Have fun with your classmates tonight!”
Madam Pei smiled slightly and turned to leave. Zhao Xuming was overjoyed—he finally had hope.
…
Mingyue had returned to her room, heartbroken. Her mother wanted to marry her to Zhao Xuming. Staring blankly out the window, she suddenly covered her face and began to cry softly.
“Sis, stop crying. Dad is still here! Dad won’t let you marry that Zhao guy.”
Mingzhu stepped forward and pulled her sister aside. “Let’s go through the back door! Don’t keep Brother Li waiting.”
Mingyue wiped away her tears and shook her head. “It’s not about the front or back door. Mingzhu, go tell him that I can’t go out tonight. Ask him to understand.”
Seeing her sister’s firm attitude, Mingzhu felt helpless and reluctantly turned to leave. Along the way, she cursed Zhao Xuming silently—calling him a stubborn, vile pig who deserved to be hit by a carriage as soon as he stepped outside. As she turned in the back garden, a woman suddenly appeared in front of her. Caught off guard, Mingzhu almost collided with her.
“Mingzhu, trying to sneak out again?”
Looking up, Mingzhu saw it was her grandmother. She quickly bowed in apology. “Grandma, I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.”
This woman was Madam Wang, the second wife of Mingzhu’s grandfather, Dugu Shi. She had always favored Mingzhu. Whenever Mingzhu sneaked out to play in the past, Dugu Shi would get furious, but Madam Wang would calm him down. Seeing Mingzhu worried, she smiled and said, “Do you want to go see the lanterns but your mother won’t let you? Go ahead. I’ll give you my permission.”
Mingzhu’s eyes lit up as she suddenly came up with a brilliant idea. She quickly said, “Grandma, my sister wants to go see the lanterns, but mom won’t let her. Please talk to mom for me! Say that sister wants to go with you.”
Madam Wang smiled and tapped her forehead. “You clever little girl. Do you think I don’t know? You want to anger your mother? How could you even think of that?”
Mingzhu’s face turned red as she grabbed Madam Wang’s hand and pleaded, “Grandma, please help me! I’m begging you.”
“Then tell me the truth. Is Li Qing’an waiting for your sister outside?”
Mingzhu could only nod, worried. “It’s already been fifteen minutes late. I’m afraid he’ll get impatient and come looking for her. If mom finds out, things will get messy.”

Madam Wang was a shrewd and practical woman. In her view, what was Zhao Xuming anyway? Just a minor teaching assistant, a low-ranking official of the seventh rank—how could he compare to a military governor of the Northern Court? Madam Pei was truly foolish, focusing so much on those empty and useless noble families. She had met Li Qing’an during the last matchmaking attempt; although a bit rough, the young man was very capable and highly regarded by the emperor, having become a military governor at a young age. If Mingyue married him, it would be a great support for the Du Gu family.

She smiled and said, “Very well! I was just thinking of going out to see the lanterns. It’s lonely without company—your sisters, go with me! Your mother is my junior, so there’s no need for me to say anything to her. Go call your sister; we’ll leave right away.”

Mingzhu was overjoyed. She leaned in and gave Madam Wang a loud kiss on the face. “Thank you, great-grandmother! I’ll go call my sister right away.”

“That silly girl!”

Madam Wang wiped her face and shook her head helplessly.