She no longer looked at her hand but at the similarly lonely wine pot, muttering softly to herself, "Meng Zhuqing, you didn’t drink with me that night. Tonight, will you join me?"
The person who asked this question had no idea that Meng Zhuqing had already arrived, just outside her courtyard.
And Meng Zhuqing, leaning against the outer wall, had no idea that inside the house, Tobanya had asked such a question.
Inside the house, Tobanya didn’t eat anything more. She just sat quietly at the table, staring at the wine pot, her beautiful face expressionless, yet she seemed to be waiting for someone.
Outside the house, Meng Zhuqing leaned against it, holding his sword, tilting his head back, feeling the cold wind, gazing at the cold moon, and his heart had flown into the courtyard the moment he arrived.
Until dawn, she had no idea he had been there.
He was even less aware that she was waiting for him.
An Jing and Xiao Changyi had stayed at the palace for quite some days before returning to Prince Yi’s Mansion.
Upon returning to Prince Yi’s Mansion, An Jing began thinking about the upcoming Lantern Festival a few days later. The festival here also had the custom of eating sweet dumplings and admiring the lanterns. Originally in Qilin County, she and her husband lived far from the county and had never seen the lanterns together. Now, under the Son of Heaven’s feet in the bustling Imperial Capital, the lanterns of this Lantern Festival were sure to be spectacular.
Thinking along these lines, An Jing joyfully said to Xiao Changyi, "My Lord, we must go out to see the lanterns this Lantern Festival, they are bound to be beautiful."
"Should we bring the children along?"
Xiao Changyi hadn’t replied when four little rascals came over, hugging their legs, lifting their tiny heads, and shouting continuously, "Take us, take us, take us."
An Jing’s face flushed with affection, nodding repeatedly, "Yes yes, daddy and mommy will take you along."
Xiao Changyi said, "Bring a few more guards then."
Upon hearing this, An Jing knew her husband agreed to take the four children to see the lanterns, and since there would be a lot of people that day, to prevent the children from getting separated or lost in the crowd, having a few guards nearby was the best option.
"Yes yes." An Jing nodded and then added, "After we eat the sweet dumplings, we’ll go see the lanterns."
On the fifteenth of the first moon, An Jing also invited Tobanya to join them for sweet dumplings.
While eating sweet dumplings, An Jing asked Tobanya if she wanted to see the lanterns and could join them, and Tobanya agreed to go see the lanterns together.
An Jing and Xiao Changyi brought five guards with them: Meng Zhuqing counted as one; the others were Qin Er, Qin San, Qin Si, and Qin Wu.
At nightfall in the Capital City, all the streets and alleys, every corner, were lit with lanterns. The lanterns were countless and varied, not only beautiful but also magnificent.
The crowd of people admiring the lanterns was enormous.
With so many people around, Qin Er and the other guards were extremely vigilant, paying close attention to everything around them, not daring to be lax in the slightest.
An Jing had originally planned for Xiao Changyi to buy her a lantern. However, seeing that people could win a lantern by guessing lantern riddles, she encouraged Xiao Changyi to give it a try.
When Xiao Changyi guessed them all correctly, the lantern seller then gifted An Jing an especially beautiful revolving lantern.
An Jing, holding the revolving lantern, was especially happy.
Seeing An Jing with a lantern, the four little ones clung to Xiao Changyi’s trouser legs, clamoring for their own.