The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 5

Just as Zhang Shi and the others were howling, the knife fell to the ground instantly, and the world fell silent.

Li Er stood at the doorway and sighed deeply: "Alas, I never imagined that such corrupt people would be causing trouble in my Great Tang Dynasty..."

Li Er's move was merely to make an example of someone, to warn all corrupt officials to behave themselves properly, otherwise none of them would have a good end.

Now that the year is drawing to a close, the students at Tianxia Academy will soon be on winter break.

In class, several students were discussing some fun things to do during the Spring Festival.

"Little idiot, what are some of the customs for the Spring Festival in your hometown?"

"Well, it's pretty much the same as in the capital, with families hanging lanterns high. But the most fun thing there is the Lantern Festival. I've learned so much at Tianxia Academy, I'm sure I can win first place this year."

"Haha, yes, yes, our teacher Xu Tian is really amazing. He taught us so much knowledge, many of which my father and mother have never even heard of."

"Hey, Little Six, what are you daydreaming about?"

This little boy, Xiao Liu'er, was the nephew of Wang Anping, the owner of the Huazilou restaurant outside the south gate of the city. Back then, Wang Anping was also very poor.

When Xu Tian first transmigrated to this realm, he was penniless and fainted from hunger next to Hua Zi Lou, where he was rescued by Wang Anping.

When Xu Tian woke up, to repay Wang Anping for saving his life, he swore brotherhood with Wang Anping. In the end, Wang Anping's Huazilou was "helped" to recover, and from then on, the business flourished.

This Huazilou was a place for entertainment and leisure, with ordinary games like comparing sizes. Later, Xu Tian taught Wang Anping modern chess and poker.

Because Wang Anping was unable to focus on taking care of Xiao Liu'er, after Xu Tian established the Tianxia Academy, Xiao Liu'er stayed by Xu Tian's side to learn.

After closing the school gates, Xu Tian and Xiao Liu'er had already set off ahead of time to return to Hua Zi Lou outside the South Gate of the city.

On New Year's Eve, Xu Tian went out for a walk in the morning and saw that some families along the way had already put up door charms.

Some people have a bamboo pole in front of their door with a long banner hanging from the top; it's unclear what it represents.

In this era, there was no custom of pasting couplets on the door. Xu Tian did not intend to be different. One of the reasons was that there was no large sheet of red paper available for sale at the time, and he could not very well buy white paper to write couplets.

At that time, there was no unified custom for shops to close for a long holiday during the Lunar New Year. Each shop closed according to its own situation, some for a day or two, and some for three or four days.

There are also many self-employed vendors, and roadside stalls don't even take a day off, as the Lunar New Year is also a time to make money.

The weather has been alright these past few days, not too cold, and there's no snow on the roads, so many people have been out and about. Dingxiang city isn't very big, and I ran into several familiar faces on the street.

Xu Tian finally met several women from wealthy families. Their attire was indeed quite different from that of ordinary people's daughters. Their clothes were much more exquisite, and those who looked more dignified were probably daughters of officials, while those who looked more glamorous were probably daughters of wealthy families.

As for people's appearance, some are good and some are bad. It is probably only after removing their headdresses and makeup that one can make a careful distinction.

With several maids and servants around him, he couldn't get too close to observe them closely; he might as well be asking for trouble. Human rights didn't exist in this era, unlike in later times.

When I got home, I saw Wang Anping and the housekeeper Ma Yuan preparing firecrackers, with several children watching. Firecrackers in this era were still made from raw, dry bamboo, also called "exploding bamboo poles".

Although Xu Tian has already developed the initial fire weapon, he has no intention of making fireworks and firecrackers. Keeping it a secret is the most important thing right now. As for whether he will do it in the future, he will have to wait and see.

However, seeing someone making lanterns suddenly gave him an idea. He thought of the Kongming lanterns that would become popular in later generations. They were simple and not very secretive, so he could make them for fun.

You can do it whenever you want, as most of the materials are readily available.

First, use a large sheet of thin paper to form a cube. Since there is no wire to support it, you can only use thin bamboo strips instead. Find small pieces of pine wood, soak them in lamp oil, and let them dry.

Find another long needle and pass it through the middle of the horizontal crossbars below, then stand it up and place the pine wood on the tip of the needle to secure it.

"Xu Tian, ​​what are you doing?" Wang Anping asked curiously.

"We're making Kongming lanterns. When they're lit, they can fly into the sky. You'll see for yourselves at night." Xu Tian didn't explain the principle, as it couldn't be explained in a short time.

"Is the Kongming lantern related to Zhuge Liang? Could he even make lanterns?" Wang Anping asked doubtfully.

"I don't know if this is true or not. Maybe he did it, maybe he didn't. Hundreds of years have passed, who knows?"

Wang Anping and the others had no doubt about Xu Tian's words. Coupled with the famous name of Zhuge Kongming, they were filled with curiosity and wanted to see what it would be like to see a lamp fly up.

Since he wasn't sure how well it would turn out, Xu Tian only made two Kongming lanterns to release at night. If it worked out, he could make more in the future. Or maybe he could even sell this technique and make some money.

In the afternoon, everyone who hadn't left returned. Ma Yuan, the head chef, and two maids, as assistants, prepared a sumptuous meal. Wang Anping first gave a year-end summary, and then everyone ate heartily.

A lot of Tusu wine was also prepared during the meal. This Tusu wine was specially bought from outside and is somewhat similar to the medicinal wine made in later generations. It also contains a lot of medicinal herbs that are hard to identify. It is said that it can make people healthy and prevent them from getting sick.

After dinner, everyone gathered in the lobby to play cards, chess, and chat while enjoying sweets and snacks.

In the future, this should be the time to watch the Spring Festival Gala. Until midnight, the sound of gongs and drums can be heard from other places in the distance, which is probably around midnight.

Everyone put down what they were carrying and went into the courtyard together. It was time to set off firecrackers. Ma Yuan lit the bonfire he had prepared earlier, and then the group began to burn bamboo by the roaring fire.

The bamboo was very dry, and when it was heated while burning, it began to crackle and pop.

It is said that this fire and sound were specifically created to ward off evil spirits and ensure peace and good health for the household in the coming year. Xu Tian guessed that this belief was a custom passed down from the ancient primitive society.

He borrowed some fire from the campfire and lit the pine wood at the bottom of the prepared Kongming lantern. The pine wood was soaked in lamp oil, and since it was also oily, it burned very easily, and the fire started immediately.

It was the first time anyone had ever seen something called a Kongming lantern, and they all stared at it with wide eyes and curiosity.

After waiting a little while, the Kongming lantern finally rose slowly, as if a breeze was gently blowing it into the sky.