Chapter 125: Shangyuan Fun

Chapter 125: Shangyuan Fun

Chapter 125: Shangyuan Fun
As night falls, the city of Chang'an becomes a sea of ​​lanterns. Today is the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, the eve of the Lantern Festival, and also a carnival for the people of the Sui Dynasty. People from all states and counties across the country go out with their families to watch the lanterns.

The same was true in Chang'an. As soon as it got dark, the impatient people of Chang'an finished their dinner, locked their doors, and went out with their wives and children to watch the lanterns.

The main days for viewing lanterns are the 14th and 15th of the first lunar month. Although there are also lanterns on the 16th, they are far from as lively as the first two days.

The lanterns are mainly concentrated on East-West Street and Zhuque Street, but some districts also have their own characteristics.

For example, Pingkangfang, the most famous of which is the Beauty Lantern, and there are also Story Lanterns. Dozens of lanterns form a story, most of which are about talented men and beautiful women under the moon and flowers.

Of course, there are also special services. The restaurants and brothels in Pingkangfang are brightly lit all night long. Young ladies and officials enjoy the lights together in the brothels, and they themselves become a part of the scenery.

Xiao Xia took a break and climbed up the city wall directly from the backyard of his mansion. He walked a few hundred steps north along the wall and found a dark corner to climb down from the wall. Outside was the busiest city square.

Xiao Xia jumped down from the city wall, and a woman screamed nearby. A man shouted angrily, "Who is it?"

It turns out that there is a pair of mandarin ducks making out here.

Xiao Xia clasped his fists apologetically and said with a smile: "Sorry for disturbing you, please continue!"

He walked quickly out of the alley and plunged into the noisy and lively sea of ​​lanterns.

The woman in the alley was still in shock and said, "Da Lang, that man came down from the city wall. Could he be a thief?"

"It's very likely that there will be no one in the city right now, so it's a good time to steal things. Let's get out of here quickly!"

A man and a woman hurriedly left the alley holding hands.

.........

Around eight o'clock in the evening, the Lantern Festival gradually reached its climax. Hundreds of thousands of people in Chang'an City took to the streets to enjoy the lanterns. Everywhere there were groups of young girls wearing bright long skirts, holding hands, running and weaving through the crowds, bringing laughter along the way.

There were also children carrying small lanterns, happily following their parents to look at the lights. The small sugar figures and toys sold by the vendors quickly attracted their attention.

The Lantern Festival is also a good opportunity for small vendors to do business. There are small vendors everywhere selling all kinds of snacks and gadgets.

Xiao Xia sat in front of a small stall by the river drinking osmanthus dumpling porridge. At that time, there was no white sugar or brown sugar, only maltose, but this stall used honey, which tasted very good.

The stall owners were a couple, about thirty years old, with smiling faces and very enthusiastic.

The male stall owner pointed at the money bag that Xiao Xia had casually placed on the table and said with a smile, "Young Master, you'd better be careful! The security is not very good during the Lantern Festival. It will be troublesome if someone spots you."

Xiao Xia put the purse into his arms and said with a smile: "Will anyone steal it?"

"Yes! A few scoundrels surrounded you, grabbed your arms, and snatched your money bag from your arms. Even your sword was stolen. There were many such incidents every year."

The female stall owner added: "And molesting women is already commonplace!"

"I see a lot of troops patrolling!"

"It's useless. The incident happened in a short time and they avoided the patrol. By the time the patrol soldiers came, these ruffians had already run away without a trace."

At this time, two young ladies about fifteen or sixteen years old came over and asked with a smile: "Shopkeeper, how much is the sweet-scented osmanthus dumpling porridge?"

"Ten cents a bowl!"

"so expensive!"

"Girl, the price is the same for all of them. And we use osmanthus honey instead of maltose. You won't find another store around here that sells the same product."

"Okay! Give us a bowl each!"

"Okay! Please take a seat, ladies."

Just as the two young ladies were about to sit down, suddenly a dark shadow rushed over, sat on the bench first, and stretched out his arms to hug one of the young ladies.

The young lady who was about to sit down screamed in fright.

Three more scoundrels came up and said with a joking smile, "Young ladies, please sit down! This is a sex cushion, soft and warm. Sit down! Our brother will hold you."

The two young ladies were so ashamed and angry that they turned around to leave, but were stopped by the four men. "The night has just begun, why are you in such a hurry?"

The male stall owner tried to step forward several times, but was held back by his wife. If they had offended this gang of scoundrels, their stall would be smashed. Xiao Xia stood up, walked forward and said calmly: "Gentlemen, please give me some face and let these two young ladies go."

The leading scoundrel slapped Xiao Xia in the face, "What the hell are you!"

Xiao Xia took a step back to avoid it. His face darkened, and he saw a flash of cold light, and the left ear of the leading scoundrel was gone.

The rogue covered his ears, squatted down and screamed hysterically, blood flowing from between his fingers.

The other three were so scared that they turned around and tried to run away, but Xiao Xia's sword was faster and pierced the thighs of the three men one by one.

The four of them rolled on the ground, crying and shouting. Xiao Xia grabbed them by the collar and threw them into the small river behind them one by one.

Xiao Xia clapped his hands and walked back, only to see the stall owner was so frightened that his face turned pale and he didn't know what to do.

Xiao Xia smiled and said, "Don't worry! They won't be able to get out of bed for five days."

The people around immediately burst into warm applause, and someone shouted, "Young Master, you punish evil and promote good, well done!"

Xiao Xia took out a handful of copper coins and placed them on the table, saying with a smile, "Don't worry, they're gone."

The stall owner quickly looked into the river, and saw four scoundrels climbing to the other side, supporting each other and limping away.

Xiao Xia pierced the ear on the ground with his sword and threw it over, hitting the leading scoundrel on the back of his neck.

The four of them picked up their ears and ran away in fear.

Xiao Xia turned around and walked away. The people around him gradually dispersed and everything soon returned to normal.

The female stall owner worriedly asked, "Will those scoundrels come back to take revenge?"

The stall owner whispered, "That young man hit me hard and pierced my leg. He said he couldn't get out of bed for four or five days. I estimate he'll have to stay in bed for at least a month. He also lost his ear and he doesn't dare go out. It should be fine."

"I hope so!"

The female stall owner counted the copper coins on the table and said, "Da Lang, he gave me seven more coins!"

"Hey! He must be a rich young man. He just grabs a handful of money without counting it."

The female stall owner looked up and found that the two young ladies had returned. "Why are you back again?"

"Madam, where can we find that young master? We want to thank him."

The stall owner stepped forward and said with a smile: "We don't know either, but he should be the son of a wealthy family. Please sit down! I'll buy you a bowl of porridge to calm your nerves."

"No need to invite, we'll pay!"

The two young ladies sat down and looked around, looking for the figure of their benefactor.

This is what it’s like when you go shopping alone. After walking around for a few rounds, you lose interest. All the lanterns are pretty much the same, and your interest gradually disappears after walking a few miles.

Xiao Xia originally wanted to find some snacks, but he found that the vendors only used a small bucket of water and just rinsed the bowls with the water. The bowls had been eaten by countless people, which completely made him lose his appetite.

At this moment, he suddenly saw a few scoundrels following a couple. Judging from the couple's clothes, they should be from a poor family, but the woman was quite pretty and was stared at by this group of scoundrels.

These scoundrels and ruffians will target people based on their status. They dare not offend the powerful and wealthy, and will only target ordinary people.

At this time, the leading scoundrel made a gesture, meaning to knock the man unconscious and drag the woman into an alley ahead.

Xiao Xia understood the gesture of the leading scoundrel, and murderous intent rose in his heart. He walked up quickly, stuck to these scoundrels, and stabbed them one by one with his dagger. The five scoundrels were covered in blood, rolling on the ground and wailing. The people around were in chaos, and no one saw who attacked them.

Xiao Xia suddenly became very interested. It would be fun to deal with these scoundrels during the Lantern Festival.

An hour later, a cavalry patrol urgently appeared on the street, led by General Yuwen Chengdu.

Yuwen Chengdu received news that someone had committed a crime during the Lantern Festival, killing and injuring more than 50 people, all of whom were ruffians.

(End of this chapter)