Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

On the third day of the Lantern Festival, the Imperial Guards did not stop it and the whole city celebrated.

The Lantern Festival begins on the 14th day of the first lunar month. Jiang Shangxian went to see it yesterday at her family’s braised lamb stall. The lanterns were a little different from what she had imagined, intricate and exquisite.

Although the streets were filled with lanterns, making the entire city of Chang'an as bright as day, the styles of the lanterns were all traditional and rather monotonous.

However, despite the monotony, so many lanterns densely packed and neatly swaying in the cold wind light up every long street. From a distance, it really feels like you are in the sky.

Jiang Shangxian had seen it yesterday when he was setting up a stall with his younger brother and sister. Although the street lights were ordinary, the cultural performances on the street were quite interesting. The court artists from the Daming Palace, the folk artists from Chang'an, as well as the jugglers, the dancers and singers from Pingkangfang... were all performing on the street.

Yesterday, she watched the land boat races, tightrope walking, and steel sword swallowing near the stalls. Especially the big man swallowing the steel sword, who was hesitant and stammering all night long...

Today she felt that she could watch all the things she didn't have time to watch yesterday, such as eloquence, wrestling, sumo, horse dancing, cockfighting, jumping through fire hoops, magic tricks, etc. Finally, the two of them went to eat a plate of fruit powder together and ended the date happily.

At that time, there were no glutinous rice balls. The festival food for the Lantern Festival was fruit powder, which was a kind of thing made of flour and filled with dried fruits, bacon or fresh vegetables, similar to glutinous rice balls. It was first boiled in water and then scooped out and fried in a pan.

Unexpectedly, Cui Bianxu was also a man with plans. The two of them, each riding a horse, skipped around the crowds to the street where they could experience the Lingbo Weibu dance. They went out from the north gate of Yong'anfang, then went around Yonghefang next to the city wall, went out of the city from Yanping Gate, passed Jinguang Gate, and went straight to Kaiyun Gate to re-enter the city.

Jiang Shangxian didn't understand the significance of this operation: "Shaoqing, where are we going?"

She thought she was going to some farm outside the city to play. She was nervous and excited along the way. Her face turned red and then cooled by the cold wind, and then became hot and then cold. As a result, she ended up in Chang'an again?

So her fantasy was in vain?

Cui Bianxu raised his hand and pointed towards the spot directly ahead where the lights were exceptionally high and bright, his tone tinged with pride. "I've inquired about it, and there's a lantern wheel about 10 to 20 feet across outside Anfu Gate. Didn't you say you wanted to see the lanterns? The most beautiful place in all of Chang'an is right there."

Jiang Shangxian was silent for two seconds after making such a casual remark. He then raised his head and smiled sweetly, "Shaoqing is indeed very attentive. I had no idea there was such a beautiful sight."

Oh my god, she really didn’t know. Their stall was not located near the imperial city. Jiang Wangri didn’t mention it, so she naturally didn’t know either.

"Let's go through Jinchengfang first and take the horses to the Dali Temple."

When the young lady smiled, her eyes were like a crescent moon. Cui Bianxu's Adam's apple slid up and down twice. He pinched his thigh secretly before calming down.

Jiang Shangxian didn't notice his little gesture. He just felt that even with such a small matter, he still sounded like he was in control. He praised him very cooperatively, saying, "Young Master, you are very thoughtful."

Rules for Paozhai: Praise first, don’t bother!

He even knew to find a place to park first. He is worthy of being the man she likes. He is really comprehensive!

Only a few yamen runners were on duty at the Dali Temple that day. Cui Bianxu had obviously informed them in advance. When they arrived at the door, someone came out trotting, "Master Cui, you're here! I've been waiting. The horse feed is ready."

Cui Bianxu dismounted handsomely and swiftly, helped Jiang Shangxian down, and threw a purse to him: "Thank you for your help."

The bailiff took the purse and squeezed it, the smile on his face becoming even more earnest. Otherwise, why would people say that Cui Shaoqing was generous?

"Don't worry, Shaoqing, I'll leave it to you!"

Because there is a Dali Temple on Shunyimen Street, and this is not a good place to watch the lantern wheel, there are not many people in this area.

When Jiang Shangxian arrived, she saw that the front of Anfu Gate was crowded with people. When there were too many people, stampedes were likely to occur. The news about the Bund in Shanghai and Itaewon in South Korea made her subconsciously reluctant to get close to places with a lot of people.

If you’re not careful, you can easily become a can of sardines.

The two walked side by side. The weather was good and there was no snow. The night was cool and clear. A round moon with a yellowish and bright light hung high above their heads, quiet and gentle. Not far ahead, just a turn away, there was the prosperous scene with the front door unlocked, thousands of lights on, and three hundred ladies dancing with their sleeves linked.

Cui Bianxu stopped in front of the gate of the Imperial Household Department. "There are a lot of people up ahead. I've already made an appointment with Chen Shaojiang, the Imperial Household Department's young craftsman. There's a three-story building just down the street from Anfu Gate. Looking down from upstairs, you'll have a wide view."

"Yeah!" Jiang Shangxian responded happily. This time, she really had no intention of taking advantage of others. As long as she could avoid going to places with too many people, her worries would be swept away.

The Chief Construction Officer is actually equivalent to a modern state-owned construction group. Its main responsibilities include state construction, management of palace buildings, and the construction of mountains, tombs, temples, bridges, streets, etc.

There was only one clerk on duty inside. I think Chen Shaojiang had also greeted him. When he saw the two of them, he just respectfully bowed to Cui Bianxu and silently took them to the third floor. He opened a room and turned on the lights, and then left on his own.

Jiang Shangxian walked around the house with some curiosity, looking at this place with the most skilled craftsmen in the world. The house was not big, and it should be a place to store some small gadgets made by carpenters. There were rows of antique shelves with various small wood carvings on them. None of them had been painted yet, but they were very delicate and lifelike.

Cui Bianxu saw that she was interested and followed her: "These are all toys for children."

"Why isn't it painted?" Jiang Shangxian stared at a clay donkey. The wine jar on the donkey's back was delicately carved. He didn't know how much it would sell for. This was the first time he saw something made of wood. Could it make a sound when he blew it?

Her hands felt a little itchy and wanted to poke it, but it was someone else's thing and she couldn't touch it casually.

"These are just samples. These are meant to be sent to the palace or given to royal relatives and nobles. These most ordinary woods won't do."

Seeing her staring at the one she was yelling at, Cui Bianxu raised his hand and took it down to show her: "Do you like this one? This one doesn't have a hole in it."

Without a hole, there would be no sound. Jiang Shangxian nodded, stretched out a finger and gently poked the little donkey's head. Then he withdrew his hand with satisfaction, raised his head and arched his eyebrows at Cui Bianxu: "Let's go take a look at the lantern wheel. I wonder what it looks like."

Her eyes were staring straight at him. The two of them were too close. With Miss Jiang's height, if he were as short as Zhao Shan, he would probably hit his head if he lowered his head. The smell of the osmanthus hair oil on her head would reach him the fastest, followed by a faint scent of wisteria mixed with a hint of moist milk.

The incense-loving boy, Xiao Cui, couldn't help but be distracted - why hadn't he thought of this combination before?!