Lantern Festival

When Shen Que entered the room, Jiang Xun was already fast asleep.

Half of his face was buried in the blanket. His expression was tranquil and peaceful, his cheeks flushed with a faint redness, looking very settled in his sleep.

Shen Que extinguished the lantern and sat on the edge of the emperor's bed. This side hall had been uninhabited for a long time, desolate and lonely. He originally wanted to take Jiang Xun back, but looking at his sleeping face, Shen Que hesitated.

The emperor had not slept this well in a long time.

They used to share a bed every day. Shen Que was a light sleeper; the moment Jiang Xun moved, he would wake up. Therefore, he clearly knew that the emperor was always tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep for a long time. It was very rare for him to sleep as soundly as he did today.

Thus, Shen Que tucked the blanket in for him and made no other movements.

But Shen Que did not leave either.

He wanted to know why the emperor was staying here.

Shen Que had wandered here before, but every time he got close, he would be led away by Wang An.

This place was located in the northwest corner of the imperial city, an area full of desolate and dilapidated palaces. The walls were mottled with peeling paint, and weeds grew in the crevices of the roof tiles. In the early years, it was a residence for guilty concubines and princes, and it had left behind many ghost legends. Palace maids and eunuchs considered it taboo and avoided coming near. Moreover, there were no lights at night. The palace was pitch black, and looking from a distance at the uneven high walls and flickering shadows, it looked like a ghostly hall of hell.

Why did the Emperor come here alone?

Shen Que placed the lantern by his feet and got up to investigate this palace.

Chenglu Hall had been in disrepair for years. He had to step carefully to avoid making a sound.

Shen Que felt his way across the desk and bed frame, then gently opened the wardrobe, only to see a small basket tucked inside.

It was the kind of old laundry basket used for holding clothes, woven from bamboo with rough edges. It was covered by a piece of faded silk cloth, which was covered in dust.

Shen Que carefully lifted a corner of the silk cloth and looked inside.

It was a pile of miscellaneous items.

There were small clothes for an infant, little toys stuffed with cotton, tiny shoes with worn-out soles, and many, many woven grasshoppers.

He reached out and plucked a grasshopper from the pile of clothes.

It was unknown how many years this thing had been kept here. The grass leaves had already lost their moisture and turned yellow, becoming dry and brittle, ready to break with a gentle snap. Yet, its posture was still vivid and lifelike. Shen Que examined it under the moonlight, then suddenly plucked a leaf from the courtyard.

He scrutinized the grasshopper as his hands moved deftly. In a short while, he folded a new one, exactly identical to the old one.

Then, he put the small grasshopper back into the laundry basket, tucked the newly folded one into his sleeve, and continued exploring the courtyard.

The courtyard was not large. Shen Que walked around for twenty minutes and roughly figured it out.

Jiang Xun had sealed Chenglu Hall after ascending the throne. The furnishings inside had not been touched by anyone, remaining exactly the same as when he was a child. Shen Que ran his hand over the desk; there were marks of pinpricks on the wood, accidentally poked by Jiang Xun's mother while sewing. He touched the wardrobe; the bottom edge had irregular bite marks left by Jiang Xun chewing randomly while holding onto things as a child, along with other scattered marks...

Shen Que had a rough idea that a woman and a child used to live here.

The child had grown from an infant up to seven or eight years old, entirely within these small courtyard walls.

A woman in the imperial palace could be a palace maid, a concubine, or a momo, but a child in the imperial palace could only be a prince or a princess.

A slightly absurd speculation arose in his heart.

Did Jiang Xun... live here when he was a child?

He furrowed his brows.

After ascending the throne, the emperor had erased many traces, including this dusty courtyard. But Chenglu Hall was the most remote courtyard in the palace. The charcoal basin in the room still retained ash from the worst kind of charcoal—producing a small fire and heavy, choking smoke. No prince or princess in the palace should have used this kind of charcoal.

How could Jiang Xun live in such a place?

In the chaotic and complicated harem of the previous emperor, was there a prince raised like this?

Shen Que turned to look at the bed. The one he was sleeping on was a low cedar wood bed, without carvings or bed curtains, several grades lower than the emperor's bed. Yet, as Jiang Xun nestled in the blanket and slept soundly, his always slightly furrowed brows were relaxed, deeply immersed in a good dream.

It was as if he was accustomed to sleeping on this bed.

Shen Que hesitated for a moment, reached out, and touched the emperor's cheek.

He had embraced Jiang Xun before; the emperor's back was thin, and right now his face looked pale and bloodless. Shen Que sat on the edge of the bed for a long time, tucked Jiang Xun's loose hair behind his ear, and let out a sigh.

Xue Jin's movements were faster than imagined. On the third day, the news of the victorious battle reached the Capital City.

For a long time, Great Wei had been at a disadvantage in battles against the barbarians. This was an unprecedentedly great victory. Both the court and the public were overjoyed. When Shen Que placed the memorial on Jiang Xun's desk, the emperor smiled, a rare sight.

Jiang Xun slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. The heavy boulder pressing on his heart was finally lifted. Relieved of a heavy burden, he immediately ordered the opening of his private treasury for heavy rewards. When the imperial decree was passed down, even Shen Que was astonished.

The rewards were so generous that the emperor had almost emptied his private treasury.

Jiang Xun did not care about this, telling Shen Que to just go and handle it. Then, he left with brisk steps, wanting to return to Chenglu Hall, but was stopped by Shen Que.

The Imperial Tutor walked briskly from behind, stood shoulder to shoulder with the emperor, hesitated slightly, and smiled, "The battle report has reached the Capital City, and the common people are spontaneously holding a lantern festival. It's tonight. Would Your Majesty be interested in taking a look?"

Jiang Xun tilted his head, showing a hint of curiosity: "A lantern festival?"

Every year on the Lantern Festival, there were lantern fairs in the Capital City. Unfortunately, Jiang Xun had never left the palace when he was young, so he had never seen one.

"Yes," Shen Que said. "This subject wishes to invite Your Majesty to tour together. I wonder if it would be permissible?"

The Imperial Tutor was long past the age of going to lantern festivals. He just wanted to make Jiang Xun a little happier.

Jiang Xun: "Mhm..."

Burning down the palace was also tonight. He had prepared the lamp oil and dry grass. If he went to see the lantern festival, it would inevitably delay the mission.

Jiang Xun then asked: "System 55?"

System 55 lay on his shoulder: "Go ahead, Host. I also want to see the lantern festival."

Thus, Jiang Xun shamefully hesitated for a moment and nodded.

It was the first time someone invited him out to play, and it was Shen Que who invited him. Jiang Xun did not want to refuse.

He left the palace with Shen Que when the evening lights were just being lit. The guards followed far behind. The streets were surging with crowds, rubbing shoulders and stepping on each other's heels. In a moment of inattention, Jiang Xun was almost swept several meters away.

Shen Que was quick-eyed and deft-handed. He grabbed him and pulled him to the side. Then, he opened his hand and asked tentatively, "Can Your Majesty hold onto this subject?"

He smiled. "It's a bit improper, but there are too many people on the street. It wouldn't be good if we get separated."

Jiang Xun tentatively raised his hand and grabbed... two of Shen Que's fingers.

Shen Que held him back, and Jiang Xun's palm twitched. He hastily struggled, but was clasped tightly.

"..."

It felt very strange. Other than his mother, no one had ever held his hand like this.

Shen Que pretended not to notice and stood shoulder to shoulder with the emperor. They walked through the long street brilliantly illuminated by lanterns. As Jiang Xun's gaze swept over the sugar paintings, pastries, and candied haws on the street, Shen Que asked, "Want to try some?"

As the ruler of a nation, trying these things would be highly inappropriate. Jiang Xun frowned and refused: "No..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a pastry was already pressed against his lips.

Shen Que readily paid for it and said, "It's a pastry from a time-honored brand in the Capital City. I loved eating this when I was young. Hmm, Shen Xiu and Xue Jin also loved it when they were little. I used this to trick Shen Xiu into doing his homework, and it worked every time. Would you like to try?"

It was unknown which word touched the emperor. Jiang Xun hesitated for a moment and took a bite.

—What exactly could trick Shen Xiu into doing homework?

The pastry pressed against the tip of his tongue. Jiang Xun bit into it tentatively. The fragrance of plum blossoms exploded on his lips and tongue. It was sweet, soft, and glutinous, truly very delicious.

After that, he successively received feedings of sugar paintings, glutinous rice balls, and so on.

Whenever Jiang Xun cast a curious glance at a stall, Shen Que would buy from it and introduce its origins as if enumerating his family valuables, occasionally interspersing sentences like: "Shen Xiu loves eating this," or "Xue Jin loves eating this."

At the same time, he quietly observed the emperor's preferences.

Jiang Xun spat out a piece of sour cake, half of his tongue gone numb. He took a large gulp of water and commented, "Ugh, Shen Xiu's taste is truly strange."

Shen Que silently noted this down and smiled in agreement: "Indeed strange."

Unknowingly, they walked past the entire street and arrived at the riverside. Jiang Xun never knew there were so many small snacks among the common people of the Wei Dynasty, as well as various woven grass and flower crafts, acrobatics, and more. Young men and women kissed under the lanterns, while old women and men sat aside chatting. People came and went; it was very lively.

He thought, "Without that disaster, the Capital City should have looked this prosperous and lively."

Lights floated in the river. Jiang Xun pulled at Shen Que: "What are they doing?"

Shen Que: "They are releasing river lanterns and Kongming lanterns to entrust their wishes. The river water and the wind will carry the wishes to the gods, blessing them to come true."

He picked out the closest one. "Hmm, look at this. It says 'May every year have today, and every year have this morning.' Everyone feels that today is a very important day."

The dynasty's first major victory against the Northern Di was, of course, a very important day.

Jiang Xun stared blankly at the lantern: "Is that so?"

Had the day when countless people lost their country and families, and wandered destitute in his previous life, turned into a day where they hoped "may every year have today, and every year have this morning"?

He pursed his lips and smiled.

Shen Que took all of this in and gave a slight nod.

—He finally had some vitality; this trip had not been made in vain.

They walked along the riverbank for an unknown amount of time. Half of the lanterns had been taken down, the snack stalls were gradually closing up, and the people by the river were also heading home one after another. Shen Que then said, "The night is deep and the dew is heavy, and the wind is strong at night. Your Majesty should return to the palace. Be careful not to catch a cold."

Jiang Xun pulled him and hesitated for a moment: "Walk a bit more?"

He had never seen scenery like tonight's.

Shen Que naturally agreed.

Light and shadows flickered in the river as thousands of river lanterns floated downstream. Jiang Xun and Shen Que walked upstream along the riverbank, brushing past them. By the time they returned to the imperial palace, Jiang Xun let go of Shen Que's hand and softly said, "How wonderful."

Today, as usual, he did not plan to let Shen Que stay the night. He bid farewell to Shen Que in front of Qianqing Palace, and then once again dismissed the servants, returning alone to Chenglu Hall.

The weather in the Capital City was dry during winter, making it easy for fires to break out. Jiang Xun did not even need to prepare much fuel; just this wooden palace and the dry grass in the courtyard were enough to set it ablaze.

He took a deep breath and lit the lamp oil.

System 55 floated up: "Host! I'm ready! Let's begin!"

Jiang Xun: "Mhm."

He held the candlestick and slowly tilted it. The hot wax rolled down and dripped onto the withered grass in the courtyard.

The fire gradually started.

Jiang Xun took a step back and walked into the palace.

This place was remote. By the time the palace servants discovered the fire, he would have already done everything he needed to do.

Jiang Xun sat on the edge of the bed. His vision was gradually replaced by large swathes of crimson and golden yellow. The withered grass sent up black smoke, and hot air rushed at his face. Smoked by it, Jiang Xun's eyes blurred.

System 55: "Host, it's done. Let's go quickly."

Jiang Xun: "Wait a little longer."

He didn't know what he was waiting for, only watching this familiar courtyard be swallowed by the fire bit by bit, as if burning away half his life along with it.

System 55: "Oh."

It obediently sat to the side. Barely two seconds passed before it came to push Jiang Xun again: "Let's go, Host. I'll send you back to the modern world!"

Jiang Xun's lips moved slightly, but he still lowered his eyes and said: "Wait a little longer."

Having lived two lifetimes, all his thoughts and concerns had been solely about the destruction of Great Wei. Now that it was suddenly resolved, he felt a vast emptiness. Even regarding returning to the modern world, he couldn't muster much enthusiasm.

Jiang Xun: "...Wait a little longer."

He was like a lonely ghost with unfulfilled wishes who had drunk Meng Po's soup, not knowing what he was waiting for, just stubbornly refusing to leave.

The courtyard of Chenglu Hall was completely engulfed in flames. The fire spread to the palace chambers; the roof beams burned red-hot and tottered, ready to collapse. It then spread across the desk, licking over the tabletop covered in pinpricks, and finally burned to the wardrobe in front of the bed, reaching the basket that held the grasshoppers and small clothes.

Everything was turned to ashes.

System 55 was getting anxious: "Host, what are you doing? Let's go back and zone out, okay?"

The system couldn't make the decision to leave for its host; it could only wait.

If they didn't leave now, the fire would reach them.

At this time, the indoor temperature was already very high, and the black smoke was terrifyingly choking. Staying even a moment longer would scorch his throat and skin.

Jiang Xun's vision was already blurred by the high heat; he could only faintly see outlines. Sweeping his eyes once more over this palace where every corner was incredibly familiar to him, he was just about to speak when his field of vision was suddenly enveloped by a patch of vermilion.

It wasn't the vermilion of fire, but the color of the official robes of a first-rank senior official.

At the same time, Jiang Xun heard System 55's exclamation: "Why is he here!"