The Lantern Festival is like a pot of fine wine, awakening people who are tired from indulging in the first month of fun again. They are decorated with lights everywhere, waiting for the night to light up, and neighbors secretly compete with each other.

After a happy burn, the capital will quickly return to normal state, and the sorrows and sorrows of every family will be as always.

Hu Guiyang, who has been running around for several days, has no feeling of celebrating the festival. For him, it was just a deadline of one day.

He lay in bed and didn't want to get up, so he wrapped the quilt tightly to keep his body temperature slightly.

The charcoal fire has long been extinguished, and the outside of the house is silent. The four strange people in the backyard are afraid of each other, so they rarely go out recently and are all staying in the house. The servants regularly send food, clean water and simply clean the room. The people in the front yard are still afraid of them, but as long as they don’t come over at night, they can still accept it.

In the end, Hu Guiyang couldn't get up by himself.

Brother Hua pushed the door open and entered. He didn't think he was a servant, so he never asked outside. He went in as soon as he wanted to. He held a basin of water in his hands and placed it on the shelf, and sighed.

"Your mother said to you again?" Hu Guiyang finally sat up.

"It's still the same thing. My mother doesn't want me to join the army, but I don't like studying, arable land, or doing business. I can only serve as a soldier. Maybe I can make achievements on the battlefield."

"You want to go to the frontier?"

Brother Hua showed a hint of excitement on his face, raised three fingers, and said flauntingly: "My father has been there, killed three Tartars, received the reward for the silver to marry my mother, gave birth to me, and left a part of the family business for us mothers. If we had not made contributions to the frontier, these things would not have happened."

Brother Hua doesn’t remember his father’s appearance, but he only remembers this very clearly.

Hu Guiyang went downstairs to wash his face and rinsed his mouth, and said with a smile: "You are still too young. In a few years, your mother is the only son. How can you not worry? It is dangerous to be able to make contributions on the frontier. Your father is lucky to be able to make achievements and die of illness in his family. More people are dying on the frontier, and even the bones cannot be transported back."

"I'm not afraid. I have worshipped several masters. I will practice kung qigong every day, such as swords, guns, swords, and bows, and I will ride horses. As long as I am better than others, I will not die on the battlefield, right?"

"It's hard to say that Emperor Yingzong was captured by the Tartars."

"That's all caused by eunuchs."

Hu Guiyang didn't want to continue saying anything, "Go and get me some food. No matter how much you say, I won't plead for you. I don't dare to mess with your mother's temper. She even beat me when she was a child."

Brother Hua's thoughts were exposed, so he had to leave with a basin of water and sighed mournfully.

A bowl of rice, a pot of tea, and a few dishes, delivered by Mrs. Hua himself, "Is it early or not late? What kind of rice are you eating?"

"Lanner's meal." Hu Guiyang smiled, picked up the chopsticks and ate it. After a few bites, he raised his head, "Are you short of money again?"

Lady Hua didn't leave and shook her head, "It's enough money, there are thousands of taels of silver, there are only a few people in the house. As long as you don't ask people to eat and drink every day, don't spend money everywhere, at least one or two years."

Hu Guiyang smiled and continued to eat.

Lady Hua was not polite and sat opposite her, "Two things. The first thing is that you have to get married."

Hu Guiyang almost choked out the food, "I said it, there is no hurry to do this. I will talk about it in a year or two - it will be just enough to spend all the money."

"Forget it, I won't discuss it with you anymore. I will decide on this matter. No matter how I decide, I will make a marriage for you first. Wouldn't it be enough to marry you next year or later?"

Hu Guiyang smiled bitterly and said, "I'm not in a hurry, why are you so anxious?"

"You must be anxious. Haven't you heard of it? The 39th daughter-in-law is pregnant and can give birth in April and May. Judging from her appearance, she can give birth to a big fat son."

Hu Guiyang was stunned for a while and asked blankly: "What does Shi Gui have to do with my son?"

"Brother who grew up with him, he is one or two years younger than you. He has already started a family and a career, and has become a wealthy official. He used to call you, Sanliu, but now he calls you, Master Hu. When you arrive in the yamen, you have to kowtow to him and salute him, and you have no idea in your heart?"

"What's your thoughts? Jealous? But I think I'm doing well, better than before."

"What can you have if you don't have ambition?" Mrs. Hua stood up angrily, packed up the dishes and left. Hu Guiyang hurriedly finished his last few bites of rice.

"What about one more thing?" Hu Guiyang asked.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Aunt Hua put down the tray, "Do you know where the dried fish alley is?"

"I know, right..."

Lady Hua waved her hand and said that she had not finished speaking yet, "There is a small temple there, Guanyin Hall. Tonight, you can go there to burn incense and go alone."

"Cook incense in the middle of the night?"

"Today is Lantern Festival, and the night is more lively than during the day. What are you afraid of?"

"What I mean is why I want to go to Guanyin Hall to burn incense? I haven't gotten married yet, are you asking for it now?"

Grandma Hua's face darkened, "Why do smart people have a bad memory? I forgot what you told me a few days ago?"

Hu Guiyang suddenly remembered that he once took Grandma Hua to the princess's mansion with him and was scolded at the gate. Grandma Hua said that she could try to bypass the housekeeper and contact the princess directly.

"The princess will do it too..." Hu Guiyang was shocked. He didn't expect that Mrs. Hua could really do this.

Lady Hua frowned and said, "Don't you believe me?"

"Believe. I will definitely go to the third update tonight. Why is the princess going to Guanyin Hall at this time?"

"The Guanyin Hall was built by the princess' biological mother. She went there overnight every 15 months to mourn her deceased mother, and this year she would mourn her husband."

"Then I can go early."

Grandma Hua shook her head, "No, there is a housekeeper guarding her in the first half of the night, and in the second half of the night, she will go to chat and play with the old ladies in the palace, and you can only go in at that time."

"How do you get in? Just knock on the door?"

"No, you go to the back door to guard it. If the door can be pushed open, you can go in. If you can't push it open, just wait. Don't knock on the door and don't worry."

Hu Guiyang imagined himself fighting in the cold wind and waiting for the door to open, and felt that it was not very beautiful. "So, the princess herself would like to see me?"

"If you have any questions, ask her, why do I always ask me?" Mrs. Hua disliked being interrogated the most.

Hu Guiyang smiled and said, "Thank you so much for helping me, but...why are you..."

"You don't have to worry about women's affairs, we have our own way."

"Okay, I'll go tonight, but Wei Baihu is not easy to get rid of."

"That's your man's business. You can find a way for yourself. In short, you can only go alone. If there is a dog, the door will not be opened there." Mrs. Hua left with a tray.

Hu Guiyang looked at the big cake who had been lying obediently in the corner, "What's your business?"

Dapian looked back at the owner, and looked confused.

Yuan Mao and Fan Dajian never came back. Hu Guiyang invited Wei Ying to drink with several gate guards. It was almost dusk and he was in high spirits and decided to go out to enjoy the lanterns.

Wei Ying was all right. Hu Guiyang was at home, so he handled some documents. When Hu Guiyang went out, he must follow him.

Hu Guiyang called Jiang Erpi and Zheng Sanhun, and asked them to bring the application items with them and walked out with Wei Ying. Before dark, lanterns had already been lit at the gates of the alleys. The anxious children ran around the streets, while the adults stood at the door, caring for the children and chatting with the neighbors.

After the Zhao family's accident, many people moved out of Guanyin Temple Hutong. Most of the new residents did not recognize Hu Guiyang. They only knew that Zhao's house was strange and that the people who came out of it were strange, so they didn't look at him. Occasionally, there were old neighbors who turned around and pretended not to see him, and chatted with their neighbors in a passionate manner.

The Shi family's house at the entrance of the alley is not the largest in the alley, but the lanterns are the largest and brightest. A small colored platform is also built with lanterns of various shapes placed on it. A large group of children watch it and shout excitedly.

"It's all my fault for Grandma Hua." Hu Guiyang murmured. He felt a sense of jealousy in his heart. The only thing hanging on Zhao's house was ordinary lanterns. As for Hu's house in the north, it was probably even more deserted.

As the sky gradually became late and the number of pedestrians increased, they all headed towards the imperial city. According to convention, the various gates of the imperial city had to build giant colored platforms every year during Lantern Festival, also known as Aoshan. The lanterns were stacked layer by layer, illuminating the surroundings as bright as daytime. The scale and exquisite craftsmanship were far beyond the reach of a commoner's home.

Aoshan in different places has its own characteristics. People often have to circumnavigate around the imperial city before leaving for fun. There is no curfew tonight, allowing people to parade all night. The imperial city is spacious and remote places are also open to show that they are happy with the people.

Jiang and Zheng’s career was to accompany rich people to eat, drink and have fun. They were knowledgeable and introduced and flattered. This family was able to listen to Duan Xiaoqu, and the one who entered the store to enjoy a cup of fine wine. Even Wei Ying was surprised, “I didn’t expect there were so many places to have fun in the capital.”

"It's easy to find, but it's rare to find money." Jiang Erpi clapped the package in his hand. It was a lot of deflated along the way.

"We are doing business, right?" Hu Guiyang felt sorry for the silver and wanted to let the West Factory take responsibility.

Wei Ying smiled and said, "You can write this copy yourself, and the West Factory may recognize it."

The darker the sky, the brighter the lights, and more people. When it was almost time for the Meridian Gate, there were already people and crowds. A large number of officers and soldiers maintained order, including many Jinyiwei.

Hu Guiyang smiled and said, "The person on duty tonight is really unlucky."

Wei Ying shook her head, "This is the time to make a contribution easily."

Jiang Erpi pointed to Aoshan in the distance and shouted excitedly: "Look, it's bigger than last year's. It's not a loss for the royal family, it's really rich. How much money does this lamp mountain cost?"

"I think it's at least ten thousand taels!" Zheng Sanhun shouted, his eyes shining. Although they came to watch every year, they were still as excited as children who had never seen the world.

Wei Ying shook her head gently. If he were to decide, he would never recruit these two scoundrels as followers. "Person Hu, let's go to other places first. After midnight, there are few people here...Person Hu?"

Wei Ying walked around but couldn't find Hu's figure and shouted loudly, but the crowd pushed him forward. Not to mention looking for someone, it would be difficult to take a few steps back.

"Bastard!" Wei Ying was furious and was very sure that Hu Guiyang intended to get rid of him this time.

Hu Guiyang left the crowd and walked around the alley with few people. He was full of expectations for this meeting.
Chapter completed!