Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 388 Azolla

The Fish-Making Bridge spans the canal. Logically, the emperor's boat would only pass under the bridge and head straight to the Xiangji Temple Pier, and would not stop here.

But who can tell what the emperor wants?
What if the government suddenly wants to stop the boats on land and have fun with the people?

Even if this is just a possibility, we must make a plan for this possibility.

Therefore, when a noble person travels, people only see the moment and place where he appears.

Before and after, inside and outside, no one knows how many people have done so many things in secret.

From the bridge side to the bridge deck, and from the road surface at both ends of the bridge deck, all potholes were leveled and compacted with loess.

If the emperor was in the mood to go ashore and ride in a carriage, he had to make sure that the emperor's carriage was stable and not shaken at all.

Buckets and watering cans were prepared on the roadside, and when the emperor's boat arrived at the previous stop, "water splashing" would begin.

The so-called water splashing means using a watering can with a lotus-shaped nozzle to moisten the ground to prevent the wind from blowing up dust and blinding the emperor's eyes.

This is what is meant by "yellow earth paving the road and clean water being poured on the streets".

When Yang Yuan arrived, the servants from the Road Cleaning Bureau were leveling potholes and compacting the road surface.

Yang Yuan showed his badge and asked the people from the Qingdao Division about the situation again.

Since this was not the first time that the emperor went on tour during the Lantern Festival, various plans had already been made.

Not only were the road cleaning procedures already planned, but even if the emperor landed here, there were detailed plans for how to quickly isolate the people, how to evacuate to the periphery in an orderly manner, and how to replace the emperor's inner guards and bodyguards.

After hearing this, Yang Yuan felt relieved and told them to work hard.

Yang Yuan went to the tea stall at the bridge head and ordered a pot of hot tea. He sat there and drank the tea with relish. He also chatted with the stall owner, who was about thirty years old, with a sturdy build and an honest look.

Yang Yuan asked a lot of questions, but the stall owner was not as familiar with the lives of ordinary people as he was. He could not make up any more stories and had to show his badge awkwardly.

He smiled bitterly and said to Yang Yuan: "I am actually the pawnbroker of the military patrol shop here, not a tea seller. I can't explain clearly what the superior asked."

It turned out that the officer in charge of the military patrol shop was pretending to be the owner of a tea stall and having fun with the people. It was an old rule, I understand.

Yang Yuan smiled and stopped asking.

……

In the afternoon, at the end of the hour of Wei, the kind-looking monk Jinghai found Lu Wenhan, the postmaster of Banjingguan, and Yu Jiguang, the attendant envoy of the post.

"As a representative of Japan, I have been in Song Dynasty for more than a month. I am grateful for your hospitality."

Monk Jinghai said with a smile: "We will leave early tomorrow morning.

Before leaving, I prepared some small gifts to give to everyone in Banjingguan.

Please gather your subordinates, I want to give them my gifts personally."

Lu Wenhan and Yu Jiguang naturally declined.

Monk Jinghai smiled and said, “These are just some small gifts worthless, just to show my gratitude.

Lu Yicheng, Yu Guanban, please don't refuse anymore."

Seeing that they could not refuse, Lu Wenhan and Yu Jiguang called everyone in Banjing Hall.

Several members of the delegation had already arrived in the hall with several large boxes. Monk Jinghai and official Yoshida presented gifts to each of them and bowed to express their gratitude.

The postmen and the executors of the National Information Office lined up happily to receive the gifts.

Da Chu took the gift. The packaging was quite beautiful, but it felt light and fluttery, which made him feel a little unhappy.

After stepping back from the front, he couldn't wait to open the package before he was completely out of the sight of the Japanese delegation.

A fragrant bamboo folding fan and a silk handkerchief embroidered with green bamboo.

Da Chu's face fell when he saw it. How stingy! He finally sent back a gift, but it was not practical at all. He might as well just give me a hot pork elbow...

While Monk Jinghai and Officer Yoshida were presenting gifts and bowing to express their gratitude one by one in the reception hall in front of Banjingguan, Yagyu Shishitake and sixteen ninjas dressed in Song Dynasty costumes had quietly climbed over the wall and walked out.

Since everyone in Banjing Pavilion had gathered together to receive their gifts, they left smoothly without attracting the attention of anyone in the pavilion.

After they left for a while, they dispersed in twos and threes.

Many people came into the city to celebrate the Lantern Festival today.

They went in groups of three or four, pretending to be ordinary people, young and old.

As long as they kept their mouths shut along the way and no one heard them talking, they wouldn't have to worry about being discovered.

As for the routes into the city and the methods of water and land transportation, they were already familiar with them as they had often accompanied the two envoys Jinghai and Yoshida on visits over the past month.

……

During the Northern Song Dynasty, the emperor of Song Dynasty held banquets in the Xuande Tower of the Imperial Palace to celebrate with the people and appreciate the lanterns on Panlou Street and Yujie Street.

Below the Xuande Building, on the north side of Panlou Street, dozens of stands were built facing the street, where the prime minister, deputy prime minister, privy councilor, six ministers and their families sat.

The emperor watched the lanterns upstairs, while the ministers watched the lanterns on the stands downstairs.

But the location of the Southern Song Dynasty palace city is quite "unique", it is in the southeast corner of the entire Lin'an city.

If ministers wanted to go through the main gate to attend court, they had to take a long detour, not to mention viewing the lanterns.

Its front gate is the South Water Gate, to the left is Phoenix Mountain, to the right is the North Water Gate, and behind it are the six government offices. So where is the lantern fair held?
That’s why we have the canal light viewing.

In this case, the emperor had to bring his concubines and adopted son out of the palace, go through the North Water Gate, take the imperial boat north along the moat, and go around to the outer pier at the northernmost part of the city to enter the inner canal.

Here, they would meet up with the ministers who were qualified to accompany the emperor to watch the lanterns, and then board a boat to enter the city together.

Right Prime Minister Qin Hui, Left Prime Minister Shen Gai, Deputy Prime Minister Wanqi Xie, Principal Prime Minister Qin Hui, the six ministers and their families either took boats or cars to rush to the meeting place.

Qin Hui and his son Qin Hui did not travel together.

Qin Hui took a car and Qin Xi took a boat, and they rushed to the north city wharf by land and water respectively.

In fact, they left themselves a way out in the process.

If there is an unexpected situation in the plan and you have to flee, you should act according to the circumstances.

If land transportation is feasible, they will go by land; if water transportation is feasible, they will go by water. They will take advantage of the chaos in the city and leave before the city can react.

To this end, all the potential forces they had been secretly cultivating have been mobilized to support them in their escape to Jiankang at any time.

Riding in a four-horse carriage, Qin Hui slowly walked along the Imperial Street, looking at the bustling streets from behind a half-rolled curtain.

The banks of the canal had already been decorated with colorful tents and bright lights, and were crowded with tourists and pedestrians.

Although the Imperial Street is not the main area for viewing the lanterns, there are still many pedestrians at this moment, and the streets are crowded with people.

Qin Hui suddenly remembered the days when he was a rural teacher.

"If I had three hundred acres of paddy fields, I would not be the king of monkeys this time."

Qin Hui stroked his beard and smiled. “Now that my mission is accomplished, I will be the true master of the Song Dynasty.”

Back then, I just wanted to own a hundred acres of paddy fields and be a small landlord in the countryside, and I would be satisfied.

Who would have thought that after twenty years of hard work, I would go from being a child king to the uncrowned king of the Song Dynasty. The world is truly amazing.

……

Thinking back to the beginning, I just wanted to open "Youqiu Crisis PR" in Song Dynasty, become a local rich man with no worries about food and clothing, and have Luxi to stay with me forever, and I would be satisfied.

Who would have thought that two years later, I would become a wealthy man owning maritime trade, jewelry store, spice shop, and tea shop.

I also have the opportunity to influence the life and death of an emperor or a powerful minister. The world is really wonderful.

On the Fish-selling Bridge, Yang Yuan leaned on the railing and sighed silently.

As the dusk deepens, it won’t be long before colorful lights light up on both sides of the river.

Yang Yuan suddenly felt a slight chill on his face, and he squinted his eyes and looked up at the sky.

A snowflake floated lightly down, passing in front of his eyes, and gracefully fell into the flowing water under the bridge.

It's going to snow.

A thin old man, carrying two haystacks, walked lightly to the bridge.

At this time, the emperor's royal boat had not yet entered the city, and traffic was not yet prohibited here.

There are many portable lanterns on the haystack, including fish lanterns, orange lanterns, and the most common ones are fat pig-shaped lanterns.

The twenty-fifth year of Shaoxing was the Year of Yi Hai, and the zodiac sign was Pig.

This cute little pig lantern is very popular.

A skinny old man carrying two small lanterns stopped beside Yang Yuan. Passersby on the street looked at him, thinking he was trying to sell his business.

Some people laughed secretly, thinking that this man must be a fool, because the main customers of these lanterns were young girls and children.

Why would a grown man buy a small lamp to carry around?

"Old Song and I are responsible for the safety of Prince Enping, while Old Qu and Old Ji are responsible for the safety of Prince Pu'an. Everything has been arranged."

Uncle Gou stood beside Yang Yuan, carrying a lantern pole, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "Xiao Yang, do you really not need me to kill Qin Gou?
According to your calculations, shouldn't Prince Enping be safe?"

"No need. Uncle Gou, the life of Prince Enping should not be a problem.

Officials in favor of peace have always supported him. In Qin Hui's eyes, Prince Enping is the prince who is most susceptible to his manipulation.

However, it is impossible for Qin Hui to not have a backup plan, so the life and death of Prince Enping does not need to be considered.

But he is likely to become someone Qin Hui wants to control immediately after the chaos breaks out.”

Yang Yuan still looked at the river and said to Uncle Gou, "If it is not absolutely necessary, it is best for the four of you not to show up in public.

This matter was originally Qin Hui's conspiracy. The fewer traces we leave in it, the better.

The Japanese ninjas were hired by Qin Hui, and he would never have thought that the ninjas would attack him.

Therefore, let the ninja handle this matter. By making it so confusing, no one will notice that we are involved."

"Uncle is just worried that if they fail..."

"I'll finish off the enemy!"

Uncle Gou nodded, took a step forward and was about to leave, but suddenly stopped, with tears flashing in his hopeful eyes.

"If this is accomplished, then Mr. Yue can be cleared of his grievances, right?"

"Uncle Lao Gou, don't worry."

The snowflakes became slightly more obvious, hitting their faces in a messy manner.

Yang Yuan turned and looked at Uncle Gou: "General Yue will be vindicated! Madam Yue and General Yue's children will also be released from Lingnan."

What the ancients talked about is "deeds during life, reputation after death".

For many ancient people, "reputation after death" was more important than "reputation during life".

What they do during their lifetime is just to gain a good reputation after their death.

It is no wonder that old soldiers like Uncle Gou are so resentful about rehabilitating General Yue Fei.

Uncle Gou grinned and his gray mustache twitched a few times.

He nodded silently, carrying the lantern, and walked to the other side of the bridge.

"My hair is standing on end with anger. I lean on the railing. The rain has stopped. I look up and howl at the sky. My heart is filled with lofty ambitions. Thirty years of achievements are now dust. Eight thousand miles of journey are now clouds and moon..."

Uncle Gou has not received much education and can hardly read.

But this poem "Man Jiang Hong" is the only one he can recite and hum in its entirety.

He hummed "Man Jiang Hong" silently and walked towards Xiangji Temple.

……

it's dark.

When the stars could be vaguely seen in the night sky, someone turned on the lights.

Lin'an at night instantly turns into a brilliant starry sky. The inner city canal with colorful lights on both sides is the Milky Way in the starry sky.

The underground secret room in the Yang family mansion in Renmeifang.

Fujiwara Himeka was reading a book and fell asleep without knowing when. When she woke up, she found that it was dark all around.

She knew it was already night.

Ji Xiang fumbled to take out the tinder from a familiar place, lit the candle, and put the lamp on the desk. She was suddenly stunned.

it's dark?
Today is...

Having lived in this underground world for too long, she sometimes had to rely on humming ballads and cursing Yang Yuan to create sounds to dispel her loneliness. It seemed that she was no longer in sync with the outside world.

Until this moment, when the lamp on her desk came on, the two staggered time and space suddenly intersected again.

She couldn't help but kneel on the ground and prayed more devoutly than ever before to the ocean god and whale god she worshipped.

God, please use your great power to kill their emperor and prime minister!

Please bless Kanon and Kona to survive!

If it's not too much trouble, please ask the gods to take care of that damn Yang Sanyuan.

God bless you, and all your wishes will come true...

……

The Imperial Wharf on the south bank of West Lake is home to one of the ten scenic spots of West Lake, "Orioles Singing in the Willow Waves", which is located on its long embankment.

In the first year of Jianyan, Zhao Gou became the emperor and wanted to take a boat to Guishan to burn incense.

The imperial court built an 80-meter-long curved dock here for the emperor to moor his ships.

This newly built pier was called Imperial Wharf from then on.

There are no stone steps on the water side of the Imperial Wharf because the water level of the Guan River is relatively high. When a ship docks at the pier, the deck of the ship is almost level with the stone slabs laid on the pier.

The stones of the Imperial Wharf were all collected from Donghu Stone in Shaoxing Prefecture. The stone slabs made of Donghu Stone are therefore both flat and solid.

Today, this is the venue where famous prostitutes in Hangzhou compete for the title of Twelve Flowers.

December, twelve flowers, no matter whether they are young prostitutes or famous prostitutes, they only compete in two things, beauty and art.

But if you can be selected as one of the Twelve Flowers, your value will immediately double.

If you can become this year's most beautiful girl, you will reap huge dividends for at least five years.

Therefore, all the major brothels in Lin'an made careful preparations.

They first held an election among themselves, and then the most outstanding entertainer recognized by them would compete on the same stage with other famous entertainers from the brothels to compete for the Twelve Beauties and the Oiran.

When the lights came on, boats with different flags of brothels slowly came from the water and gradually moored at the wide pier.

The dock has become the stage for tonight's competition. A ten-foot-high stage has been built in the center, and countless spectators have flocked to it.

Obviously, those who brought their families on this day liked to go to the canal to see the lights.

Men who come with their friends prefer to go to the Imperial Pier to see the beauties.

The best stands naturally cost money, and even then they were already booked out long ago.

Liu Shangqiu did not reserve a seat in the stands because he came with Yu Yao Nu and he was on the boat.

The ships anchored on the water were connected to form a grandstand.

The girls' big sponsors all sat at the bow of the boat, cheering for the beauties they supported.

The pleasure boat in Chunfeng Tower was borrowed by Liu Shangqiu. It had carved beams and painted buildings, and was decorated with gold and powder. With just the right amount of lighting, it looked like a fairy's boat.

Liu Shangqiu firmly believed that Yuyaonu would win the first place and become the most beautiful woman in Shaoxing for 25 years.

The woman that Liu Guojiu admired the most was naturally beautiful and talented, the best among all the women. Was there any suspense? Of course not.

Yuyao Nu was secretly glancing at Liu Shangqiu.

When she was at the peak of her fame but confused about her future, she sought advice from Yang Yuan, who changed her life.

Because she didn't know what to do next.

Yang Yuan gave her a song and pointed out a path for her, asking her to quit the current situation, wash away the worldly affairs, and return to her lover.

In the past few months, she and Master Liu have been getting along very well, but Liu Shangqiu has never expressed his intention to take her as a concubine.

Yuyaonu was worried and had no idea whether Liu Shangqiu had any intention towards her.

It would be a huge gamble for her to publicly confess her feelings tonight.

If she wins, she will naturally get what she wants.

If she loses, her identity as the "Jade Master" that she has worked so hard to establish will be affected.

She was not sure whether she should continue to test Mr. Liu's feelings little by little, or... choose this confession with no way out.

The ship has docked.

The hull gently touched the pier, the pleasure boat shook slightly, and Yu Yaonu's hesitant heart also skipped a beat.

She decided to listen to Yang Yuan and give it a try!
……

During the Lantern Festival, different people have different pursuits.

In the underground secret room, Fujiwara Himeka prayed that she could escape from confinement and darkness and return to the light of freedom.

The jade-waisted slave on the pleasure boat longed to get off the drifting pleasure boat, step on the ground and start a new life.

The men in the stands hope to see lots and lots of pretty girls, and it would be best if one or two of them accidentally expose themselves.

Only officials such as Qiao Zhen, Zhang Mi, and Liu Yiguan of Lin'an Prefecture hoped that nothing would happen on this Lantern Festival.

In Lin'an City, all personnel from various government offices and military patrol stations had already been mobilized.

They were hiding in the secret places of the alleys, with ladders, fire forks, grappling hooks, buckets, sand and soil at their side...

Most of the buildings in Lin'an city are made of bamboo and wood, and tonight it is a city of lights.

What they fear most is that the Song Dynasty will be too fiery tonight!
Once a fire breaks out, no one knows how many houses will be burned down and how many people will suffer.

As the managers of this prosperous city in the world, they have a heavy responsibility.

Tonight, all the officials of Lin'an Prefecture, big and small, have been sent out to different areas and divisions, each with their own responsibilities.

Qiao Zhen, the prefect, was personally responsible for fire prevention in the entire city.

Liu Yiguan, the former judicial officer of Lin'an Prefecture, was the judge who once worked with Yang Yuan to find a cat for Prime Minister Qin's residence.

Now he has been promoted to Tongpan Nanting of Lin'an Prefecture. Tonight he is responsible for directing traffic throughout the city and preventing stampedes.

Zhang Mi, the former president of the Imperial Decree Court, is now the Tongpan of the North Hall of Lin'an Prefecture.

Since I have no experience in grassroots management before, I now cooperate with Liu Yiguan.

He is responsible for public security matters, mainly dealing with cases where people take advantage of the chaos to molest women, steal money, and abduct and sell children.

Qiao Zhen ordered the establishment of "shadow theater sheds" in all the residential alleys in Lin'an.

Movie artists were recruited from various brothels and sent to various communities to perform movies.

Shadow play artists use lights, gestures, paper figures and shadow puppets to project simple and interesting animations on the background. This is the most attractive entertainment activity for children.

This can attract children from the alleys and lanes to their communities, thus preventing them from getting lost or abducted to the greatest extent possible.

In prosperous places in Lin'an City, such as along the canal tonight and the Imperial Wharf, "public display platforms" were set up on street corners.

Whenever a thief or someone who "squeezes the gods" is caught, they will be dealt with specially. There is no need for interrogation or judgment. They will be immediately dragged to the platform for public display, beaten with a stick, and then tied to a pillar for public display, in order to deter evildoers.

Different characters, different angles, and you will see a different Lantern Festival in Lin'an.

Yang Yuan stood on the "Fish-selling Bridge" and without waiting for the express soldiers to report, he saw a huge imperial boat slowly approaching in the distance.

Yang Yuan immediately gave an order, and the personnel from the Road Cleaning Bureau immediately blocked the bridgeheads on both sides, prohibiting all vehicles and pedestrians from passing.

Yang Yuan also quickly walked to the left side of the bridge.

To the left of the bridge is the side of Xiangji Temple Pier.

The emperor is traveling here in his boat, so how can we allow someone to stand on the bridge and step on the emperor's "head"?

The spacious bridge deck was extremely quiet for a moment, but more and more people were waiting to cross the bridge at the bridgeheads on both sides, gradually forming a long queue with people jostling each other.

But everyone was quiet.

Everyone knows that the emperor's royal boat is about to arrive. Who dares to speak loudly or meddle in other people's affairs at this time?

Didn’t you see the soldiers standing on both sides of the bridge with swords drawn, looking at them with eager eyes?

The imperial boat was getting closer and closer, and the sound of court music on the boat came with the wind.

Under the light, the drifting snowflakes reflected the huge imperial boat, giving a magnificent feeling.

The weather in Lin'an was relatively warm, and at this time every street and alley was crowded with people, so the snowflakes that fell on the ground disappeared in a moment.

But when it is in the air, it still looks like snowflakes in the north at night, with a dreamy elegance.

In case the possibility did not occur and the emperor did not go ashore here, the imperial boat passed under the bridge and continued to move slowly forward towards the Xiangji Temple Pier.

When the huge imperial boat passed the bridge safely, the officers from the road-cleaning department on both sides of the bridge waved the small flags in their hands vigorously.

The rope blocking the bridge head was released, and the people waiting on both sides rushed towards the bridge with a "boom" like a flood that had been opened.

"Ouch, which son of a bitch touched my butt!"

"Don't pull my saddlebags!"

"Be careful with the children, be careful with the children..."

The hooligans, who had not dared to act rashly because of the emperor's majesty, took advantage of the sudden chaos to take action.

The officers from the wing office and the military patrol station brandished iron bars and whips ferociously and rushed into the crowd like wolves and tigers.

"Thank you for your hard work. At this time, you still have time to bring your family to watch the lanterns and celebrate the festival. Let's go now."

Yang Yuan said to the clerk from the Qingdao Division with a smile.

The clerk returned the greeting with a bow and said with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work, sir. Finally, our mission went smoothly without any mistakes."

The two men chatted for a while, and then the clerk shouted loudly and arranged for the people from the Road Cleaning Bureau to disperse.

As soon as Yang Yuan turned around, he merged into the rolling crowd and disappeared in a moment.

There are too many tourists along the canal, and it is faster to walk than to take a car or ride a horse in this area.

Yang Yuan walked quickly through the crowd. When he saw a man "pushing for the gods" on the road, he ignored him.

There was no time in the first place, and the lady seemed to be enjoying it. She could have gotten rid of the thug by just taking two quick steps, but she just kept dawdling...

On the Lantern Festival, too many people are indulging their desires.

Xiangjisi Wharf, end of the storage area.

Yang Yuan had been stationed here before, and when he was waiting for Monk Jinghai, who was staying at Xiangji Temple and debating with Abbot Yuanhui, he had carefully surveyed this small inland port storage area.

On this bustling night, it is quieter here than usual.

Because even the dock workers had the day off and joined in the revelry.

Yang Yuan arrived at the storage area, looked back, and then quickly immersed himself in it.

When he appeared again, he had turned into a Taoist with long flowing beard and an immortal look.

He was wearing a green robe, a Hunyuan scarf on his head, holding a bamboo stick, straw sandals, and a bag slung over his shoulder.

At this moment, he was like a wandering Taoist who had just arrived in Lin'an and had not yet found a place to stay.

He looked in the direction of Xiangji Temple and walked over with brisk steps.

Lotus flowers, white lotus roots and green lotus leaves, the three religions are actually one family.

Taoist priests, of course, can also go to the temple to ask for money.

PS: Don’t waste time on important matters, two-in-one, it looks smoother.

(End of this chapter)