Fifty-two middle yuan

  After breakfast, Zhang Yan went to the courtyard where Chen Hu lived and found two maids standing outside the house. Chen Hu was combing her hair under the window. She poked her head out and smiled, "Aunt is already beautiful enough, no need to meticulously paint in front of the mirror."

  "Ah." Chen Hu was startled and scolded, "A good girl like you, so naughty. No wonder your uncle always says you're like a monkey."

  "So I'll return this big gift of a monkey to you, do you still like it?"

  "The mischievous little girl." Chen Hu gently pressed her forehead, and her cheeks flushed.

  "Hey, where's my uncle?"

  "The crown prince was drinking with Gong Que Hou in the courtyard where the emperor lived before, and didn't return to his room until midnight," Chen Hu sighed, looking worried and happy at the same time. "I had someone make osmanthus sugar, and we ate it together for half the night, then I helped him go to sleep. But he only lay down for a while, and went out again this morning. I'm really afraid that he'll bottle up his worries inside and get sick from it."

  "That aunt accompanied him to relax, he will be fine." Zhang Yan smiled and handed out the hidden river lantern from behind her back.

  "What is this?" Chen Huo seemed to have an epiphany, her starry eyes sparkling brightly.

  "I heard my mother say," Zhang Yan said with a smile, "when they were young in their hometown, if there was anything unhappy, they would make an appointment to release river lanterns. One river lantern represents one sadness, and releasing them all can make them happy."

  In the afternoon, Liu Ying copied "The Classic of Filial Piety" in a cramped room. On the white silk fabric, the rabbit hair brush wrote out each character neatly and meticulously. The kindness of his ancestors was as vast as the deep sea. He couldn't repay it one by one, so he could only copy a volume of "The Classic of Filial Piety" by hand and burn it in front of the ancestral tablet to express his sincerity.

  "Your Highness," Chang Ji stood at the door, looking at the person standing outside the palace, and smiled as he bowed to report, "The Crown Prince's wife has come to see you." The quiet and cold room had just been lit up by Chen Hu's arrival.

  "Your eyes are all dark." Chen Hu stretched out his hand to smooth his eyebrows, "You're so exhausted, even the spirits in heaven wouldn't be at peace if they saw you like this."

  He smiled slightly, put down his pen and said softly, "What are you looking at?"

  "Do I have to see something before I can come over? It's stuffy at home, I've heard there's a river in Xinfeng Town, will you take me to see it?"

  He listened to this word, and couldn't help but pause for a moment, feeling slightly warm. He looked up at his wife's expectant eyes and nodded slightly.

  "The water flow is too big," Chen Hu stood on the shore, stretched out his hand to test the river water, and frowned in dissatisfaction.

  "Turn around that bend and slow down a bit." Liu Ying said with a smile.

  "Hey," Chen Hu turned around in surprise and asked, "You didn't ask anyone before you came, how did you know?"

  "Don't you know?" Liu Ying stood there with his hands behind his back, saying lightly, "Every street and alley in Xinfeng City was built according to Feng County." Fengpei was a shallow memory of his life, and he clearly remembered every bend on this street.

  "Hua'er," he smiled at his wife, "Baba called me over here, what's it really about?"

  Chen Hu looked at him in surprise, somewhat annoyed, "How did you know again?"

  "It's all written on your face." The little sparrow that can't be hidden, who can't see it?

  Chen Hu smiled and clapped his hands, and then someone brought out several lanterns. "Does the prince remember what day today is?"

  He calculated in his heart and suddenly raised his head, "Today is Ullambana Festival."

  The seventh month is the darkest time of the year. Legend has it that on the 15th day of the seventh month, the gates of hell are open. During the Zhongyuan Festival, the spirits of those who have passed away will return to the world of the living and reunite with their loved ones.

  Grandfather.

  Chen Hu grasped his hand and said sincerely, "Crown Prince, I'll accompany you until nightfall, and then we can release river lanterns together to pray for the Emperor's blessing, okay?"

  "Good." Liu Ying nodded, taking the lamp in her hand and turning it over. At first, she thought it was just a coincidence, but the more she looked at it, the more she felt that it was deliberate. The quality of the tarpaulin fabric, the way the lamp was tied, all seemed to be the work of Old Sun.

  This can no longer be said to be a coincidence.

  There are thousands of people in the world who can make lanterns, but there is only one old Sun Tou. "Hu'er," Liu Ying called out thoughtfully, "was this lantern given to you by your sister?"

  "No." Chen Hu smiled, "It's Ah Yan."

  "Ah Yan ah."

  Liu Ying returned the river lantern to its owner's hand, her face expressionless, muttering to herself for a while before sighing and saying, "So it was her."

  Chen Hu couldn't understand his expression, and only smiled sweetly, "Ah Yan is a good child. She has always been concerned about you, Uncle. Having such a considerate niece is the crown prince's blessing."

  "Uh," she was indeed a good daughter, "it's just that sometimes she was very reckless, and sometimes she was considerate to the point of being heart-wrenching."

  She was moved by her own intention of letting go of her worries by releasing river lanterns in Xin Feng that day, so she specially asked Chen Hu to come and comfort herself?

  A tiny thought, a glance that sees right through, yet somehow it makes one feel a pang in their heart.

  "Uh-huh." Chen Hu nodded with a red face, "So I was very happy to meet Ah Yan in Dong City that day." She looked at Liu Ying and said meaningfully, "Ah Yan returned my gift, I like it very much."

  "Good for nothing." Liu Ying teased with a smile, "A few lanterns on the river and you're sent off? My crown prince's wife is really easy to satisfy."

  It's just a few lanterns on the river. Chen Hu was like a fish bone stuck in her throat, she moved her lips, but her natural reserve kept her from saying anything too passionate or straightforward.

  "But that bamboo monkey, it's not worth much money either. It's about the same price as these few river lanterns." Liu Ying said with a sigh, "It's just a pity that it's also a token of our acquaintance, but it happens to be in Ah Yan's hands. She has a strange and eccentric personality, if you ask her for it, she will definitely not return it."

  "The prince and I, must we have something to witness before we can be together?" Chen Hu raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly, "I've known since childhood that for every gain, there is a loss. I'm very fond of the things I get in my hands, so I won't complain about what's lost. If one is too greedy and dissatisfied, they will invite heavenly punishment."

  "The crown prince, look, it's dark."

  The sky slowly darkened, shrouding Xinfeng City in a dull blackness that was somehow gentle. The summer breeze blew across the river's surface, amidst the soft chirping of insects, as if there were whispers of farewell from loved ones who had passed away. Liu Ying stood solemnly and replied, "Grandfather, may you have a good journey. Your grandson is here to see you off on your final journey."

  In the distance, a few lanterns floated upstream, burning with small fires the size of beans, jumping in the vast twilight.

  The lamp closest to them swayed, and with a "drip" sound, the flame slanted to one side, and in an instant, the lamp was extinguished in the rippling river water.

  "It doesn't matter." Chen Hu smiled, "The lamp has gone out, but the person is still here. The person has left, but the thoughts remain."

  Every lantern on the river is a lingering thought.

  "Yes." Liu Yingruo smiled wryly, "I was too biased."

  He waved the lighter in his hand, put the river lantern into the water, and the river lantern flowed downstream with the current. After a long time, that little star fire was still burning persistently in the night.

  "That's the Emperor smiling at you." Chen Hu said softly, "He's telling you, Ying Er, to take good care of yourself and move on, wipe away your tears and cast aside your sorrow. The Emperor has passed away, but there are still many people who need you to care for them, like His Majesty, the Empress, Princess Chang, Ah Yan, and..."

  "And you too, Hu'er." Liu Ying grasped her hand back.

  The young man's hands were warm, and his eyes were also warm. "You can light a lantern for Grandpa too. It's the etiquette for a granddaughter-in-law to meet her grandfather. When you married me, Grandpa was already old, so I didn't dare trouble him to return to Chang'an. But now that you've come to Xin Feng," his voice paused with sadness, "he has passed away. You lighting a lantern for him is like the granddaughter-in-law paying respects to him with tea."

  Chen Hu's face turned red, her heart warmed slightly, and she nodded slightly, taking the lighter and lighting the lantern in her hand.

  The night grew darker, and the candlelight shone brighter. She held a small lantern in her palm, smiling gently as she carefully placed it on the river, clasped her hands together: Great Grandfather Above, I, Chen Hu, your granddaughter-in-law, offer my sincere prayers to you.

  She glanced at the young man beside her.

  I don't ask for heaven, I don't ask for earth, but I ask Grandpa to bless me, let my husband have a peaceful and safe life, everything goes smoothly, live to be 100 years old, never worry, all wishes can come true.

  A small spark drifted very far and finally perished.

  Chen Hu's heart was filled with joy, and she reached out to take the last lantern by the river, but her hand accidentally bumped into Liu Ying's. She let out a slight cry of surprise, pulled back, and remembered the old times when they first met. Her face turned red, her heart racing, she looked up at Liu Ying, whose eyebrows and eyes also showed deep affection.

  His voice was slightly hoarse, "Shall we light up together?"

  Chen Hu nodded.

  His palm clasped hers, and the two of them lit a fire together. "One last wish," Chen Hu said with a smile in the firelight. "What does the prince plan to grant?"

  Liu Ying smiled slightly and said, "Let's give it to you then."

  As the last lantern was released onto the river, Chen Hu's face turned crimson red. In her heart, she made a silent vow: May I be married to the prince for all eternity, holding his hand and growing old together.

  She stared intently at the river lantern, which had been proceeding smoothly for a while. But somehow, a wave suddenly rose from the calm surface and splashed onto the flame. In an instant, the candle was extinguished. The river lantern wobbled and spun around, then plunged headfirst into the water.

  "Ah." Chen Hu exclaimed, chasing after the river lantern and taking a step forward, looking lost.

  "Don't take it to heart," Liu Ying said with a warm smile, "You said it yourself, the light goes out, but people are still here. People leave, but memories remain. It's just a gesture, don't put too much emphasis on it." He took the lantern from someone's hand, his eyes shining brightly, "What was your wish?"

  Chen Hu's lips turned white as she bit them, and she forced a smile, saying "It's just a small wish."

  It's easy to be open-minded when it comes to others, but how many people can truly let go when it comes to themselves? Chen Hu gazed at the back of the young man in front of her, and suddenly felt a pang of sadness. Wasn't it a warning from heaven that happiness that came too easily would not last long? The fleeting moments were ultimately the most beautiful times.

  They actually can't, grow old together till the end of time.

  Silently arriving at the village entrance, in the distance, torches swayed, a line of carriages came forward, led by a bronze carriage, the dark emblem was unclear, and a white banner covered the carriage beam.

  "Still not letting go." The charioteer reined in the horses and slowed down the carriage, his eyebrows raised high as he shouted, "The King of Chu has come to mourn as the Supreme Emperor!"

  "How dare you!" someone in the carriage rebuked. The middle-aged man, dressed in the heaviest mourning attire, got off the carriage with a dusty and disheveled appearance, cupped his hands together and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, I beg for your pardon for not being strict enough in my duties."

  Liu Ying glanced at the trembling eunuch kneeling by the side of the road and frowned, saying, "Fourth Uncle is also deeply grieved for Grandfather and hurried along the way. I dare to speak out of turn. The Emperor is still waiting for Fourth Uncle. Please enter quickly."

  King of Chu Liu Jiao's expression was dazed, after another bow, he hastily entered the inner quarters. A group of family members also got down from their carriages and came over, all wearing mourning attire, with white as snow. A 12 or 13-year-old girl slowly walked through the crowd to Liu Ying's side, her eyes red and swollen, and bowed saying, "Elder brother the crown prince, this time grandfather has left, was his journey difficult?"

  Liu Ying's eyes turned red at these words, and she wiped away her tears with her sleeve. "Grandfather was fine when he left, just very thin. Don't be too sad either." He held Chen Hu's hand and said, "Hu'er, this is the daughter of King Chu's uncle, my legitimate cousin, with a single surname of Liu."

  Chen Hu and Liu Xian saluted each other, and by the light of the torches on the side of the road, they looked at the girl in front of them. Although she was a bit young, her eyebrows and eyes were extremely beautiful. As the saying goes: "A woman should be charming, with a body that is filial." The coarse hemp mourning clothes worn by Liu Xian, slightly nodding her head, had a elegant posture, not only did it not look dull, but it also brought out a hint of beauty and charm that was hard to describe. He couldn't help but exclaim, "The daughter of the Marquis of Chu is really good!"

  "That's right." Liu Ying smiled, "My fourth aunt was a rare beauty back then. Unfortunately, she died young. But...". She stopped herself from saying more.

  Liu's expression was dismal, and he said, "Grandfather has just passed away. As his descendants, our grief is overwhelming. How can we pay attention to these trivial matters? Sister-in-law, your praise is misplaced."

  "Alright." Liu Ying patted her forehead, momentarily speechless. After a while, she said, "All of you brothers have come from afar, and are weary from the journey. Why don't you go pay your respects to our ancestor's spirit first, and then rest and freshen up?"

  Liu Xiang bowed his head in gratitude and followed the crowd of aunts and uncles, falling behind to the end. After walking for a short distance, he suddenly turned around and shouted, "Prince Brother."

  Liu Ying turned around and looked at him. The torches on both sides of the street, which were burning fiercely, cast a crisscross pattern of bright shadows on the girl's face, making her cheeks slightly red. She hesitated for a moment before asking, "A Xie, has he come?"

  Her eyes shone with slight anticipation.

  Liu Ying gazed at her for a moment, then sighed and said, "The late Emperor has ascended to heaven, he held no official position or title, it is not fitting for him to come to Xin Feng to send off the funeral procession."

  "Oh." Liu picked up his head, stood for a while, and turned around to go in.