Song Xingzhi lived during the reign of Emperor Huizong

Chapter 44

Su Chen glanced at her laughing heartily, and hearing Granny Sun's words, her face also turned red. She was not afraid of anything else in her life, but she was most afraid of being praised, especially the kind of praise that was obviously biased, which made her completely at a loss for words. She replied helplessly, "Granny, what did I do that was so elegant? If outsiders heard me say that, they would probably laugh me to death."

Granny Sun glared at her and said, "What are you saying, young lady? Can't we say that our own family is doing well? Even the eldest maid of the He family can rival the impoverished gentry."

Okay, I give up...

Granny Sun is good in every way, but her favoritism towards herself and He Su Shi, and her elevation of the He family who didn't come here, well, let's not talk about it.

After everything was arranged, Xiao Xian outside the door began to urge them on. The group walked towards the outer courtyard, boarded the carriage, and finally drove away.

The intensive training of more than half a month can be considered over. Recalling the hellish life of the past few days, Su Chen's scalp still tingled. She still hadn't completely memorized those two thousand poems—the quantity was simply too vast and varied. Towards the end, she often mixed up several poems; the opening and title of Ouyang Xiu's "Yangzhou Slow" would become Lu You's "Ugly Fish" after a while. Although her own poems and lyrics were legible, they were still at a beginner level. Having no other choice, she adopted He Su Shi's method: prepare dozens of poems in advance and memorize them by rote. If she was unlucky enough to be called upon, but one of her memorized poems happened to be relevant, she would be incredibly fortunate.

Thinking about reciting poems while trying to sleep at night—this is no life! Although I know Wu is doing it for my own good, when I'm suffering from the pain of reciting, I really feel so angry I could bite her!

As the car drove out of the alley, a wave of heat hit us, and the sounds of people filled our ears.

The carriage windows had parallel thin bamboo strips slanted downwards, and through the unobstructed gaps, one could see outside. The shops and vendors were diverse but not chaotic, and the open space was filled with boys holding kite wheels and medicine strings, presumably having a kite competition.

As they passed by, a large sign read "Sons of Officials, You've Got into the Wrong Place." Through the wide entrance, they could only vaguely see countless heads. Cheers, boos, and clamor poured out, yet they couldn't drown out the fluctuating voices. The clappers, gongs, and erhu sounded in turn, and ethereal, indistinguishable male and female voices meandered up the melody. Su Chen found it interesting, but the car had already driven far away.

The sky wasn't completely dark, but all the lanterns along the road were already lit and hung up. In a slightly sparsely populated area by the roadside, an elderly woman wearing three fresh flowers in her hair was surrounded by a group of people who laughed and teased her, buying her a bowl of some unknown drink. The spot where the old woman stood quickly filled with people again. But after a short while, a bright, energetic voice called out from behind, "Selling fragrant tea and exotic items! Selling fragrant tea and snacks!" Su Chen turned around and saw the old woman with the three flowers on her head, enthusiastically calling out her wares, the crowd still lingering. Her calls were rhythmic and melodious, almost like a melody.

As the carriage continued its journey, it came across another street lined with fortune tellers. The fortune tellers' lanterns and signs were decorated with all sorts of things: some depicted figures, some puppets and deities, and some painted landscapes and flowers. If you weren't paying attention, you might mistake them for lantern sellers.

Is this the legendary Song Dynasty, a country with abundant wealth and thriving commerce?

That feels really good!

Su Chen felt her chest heaving. The bustling crowd on the street, the smiling faces, and the noisy chatter all made her want to join in and have some fun. She was no longer surprised that Zhenzhu Ji and the others could be kidnapped in broad daylight—with so many people, one could easily be separated by the crowd if one wasn't careful.

Granny Sun watched with a smile and said, "If you like it, Miss, we'll have Second Master and Madam take you out to the night market during the Lantern Festival!"

"What?"

Granny Sun then called out, "If you like it, Miss, we'll have Second Master and Madam take you out to the night market during the Lantern Festival!"

"Is it alright? Can I go out whenever I want?!" What a pleasant surprise! This time, let's not talk about what a woman should do at home. She raised her voice, afraid that Granny Sun wouldn't hear her.

While looking outside, Granny Sun raised her voice and replied, "Everyone goes to see the Lantern Festival; it's a truly lively sight! It only happens once a year, and the Emperor and the ladies of the palace all come out. Why can't we go?"

The further the carriage went, the slower it became. Granny Sun turned her head and said, "I told you we needed to switch to a smaller carriage, but Dongkui said we didn't need it. If we hadn't switched, we definitely wouldn't have made it through now!"

Dongkui had been glued to the window, completely absorbed in the sights. She hadn't been back to the capital for years, and now every scene captivated her. Without turning her head, she replied, "I didn't expect so many people. Luckily, Granny is experienced." Suddenly, she turned her head. "Miss, look! Fireworks over there!! Fireworks in the capital! Look!"

Su Chen chuckled as he watched the usually composed girl become so excited. He turned his head to look and saw a crowd pushing towards the imperial city, shouting, "Fireworks! Fireworks! Come and see!"

Sure enough, fireworks were set off. The soaring dragon exploded in the air, its golden light illuminating the entire sky. From the dragon's head and claws to its tail and even its scales, everything was exquisitely detailed and clearly visible. Several smaller dragons exploded one after another beneath the dragon's body, glaring angrily with their claws and gaping mouths. When illuminated by the light, they seemed to be swaying their heads and moving about. This was so much more impressive and beautiful than what I saw in Suzhou!

The crowd erupted in cheers and shouts. The coachman also shouted a few words, but his voice was completely drowned out. Dongkui also cheered and shouted. Granny Sun was about to scold her, but seeing Su Chen's dumbfounded look, she found it amusing and decided to let it go since she was watching the fireworks herself.

The dragon's light slowly faded, and the deafening sound of the fireworks exploding came through the air, as if exploding right next to our ears. Everyone hurriedly covered their ears.

Then, the sound of string and drum music came from ahead, and shouts came from the crowd: "It's starting! Let's go see the performance!!" Sure enough, the crowd surged forward.

The carriages of the He family traveled on the main road, which was still extremely crowded. It was unclear how long it took before they finally arrived at the square. They entered through a side gate and, led by a palace maid, prepared to take their seats.

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I'm getting dizzy from all the countless city gates and roads in Tokyo!

P.S.: Um, it's almost the end of the month, and I still have some points left. If anyone is interested, feel free to leave a comment in the book review section. You can get 15 points per person per day.

However, I still don't know what the points are used for...

Chapter Nine, The Grand Feast

<><A><>The promotional function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join now!!!</A><> Warning: The long-awaited "Heavenly Thunder" chapter is extremely melodramatic and hard to control. Enter at your own risk! Those who believe in logic, please leave now. Also: Please ignore the locations of palaces and squares in this chapter, ignore some location settings, and ignore some seating arrangements. I flipped through the book until my hair was about to explode, but I still couldn't find a clear and easy-to-use map, so I had to set it up myself. In any case, the Jiying Hall, Zichen Hall, and Chuigong Hall are not connected, nor can they see the outer square. Please consider the illogical parts as a cheat code from Emperor Huizong of Song's time travel~~ Many settings are my personal quirky tastes, please forgive me...</A>

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It was already dark, and there weren't many people around because they were on a side road. Willow catkins were flying everywhere, and occasionally, colorful gauze curtains could be seen falling to the ground from the lakeside pavilions. The palace maid leading the way walked quietly, and Su Chen also tried his best to calm himself down.

It would be a joke to say I'm not nervous.

Layers of white curtains hung down from the towering pillars, their lower ends tied with brocade in a semi-circular shape. The palace doors were wide open, and half the young women were already seated inside. High buns were fashionable at this time, as the banquet was important, and many women were dressed elaborately. From afar, Su Chen thought the young women's hair resembled miniature artificial mountains. She reached out and touched her own simple hairstyle. Hmm, hopefully it wasn't too plain.

As the palace maids ascended the steps and entered the hall, the women inside, who had been chatting amongst themselves, all looked up at the arrival of someone. The eunuch at the door announced, "Daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites and Academician of the Ziwei Pavilion of the Hanlin Academy, Ms. He, Su Chen, has arrived—"

Since most of the guests at the banquet in the Chuigong Hall were daughters of noble families, with the most prestigious being the daughter of a prince, the general rules and layout were relatively rough. The Zichen Hall, where Wu Shi went, and the side hall for the sons of officials, where He Su Shi went, were several levels higher in status than this place, not to mention the Jiying Hall, where He Ziyuan went.

Upon hearing their names called, the young women in the hall fell silent, turning their heads from all directions. A glance can be powerful, and in an instant, Su Chen's fingers twitched, noticing her palms were damp and a thin layer of cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She took a deep breath discreetly, lowered her head slightly as instructed by Madam Wu, and put on a gentle, warm smile. Following the palace maids, she first bowed to the daughter of the Prince of Xiang, who was presiding over the banquet, before taking her seat.

As I approached, I noticed soft cushions on the ground, and my heart skipped a beat. I glanced around and, sure enough, everyone around me was kneeling.

...Does she have to kneel too? Who has a chair and chooses to kneel so naturally instead of sitting?! Society is progressing! Society is progressing!! People should adapt to societal progress and sit on chairs...

However……

She obediently sat down.

She's a civilized person and doesn't bother with strange customs...

The girls in the hall were quiet for a while, then began to talk to each other again. However, no matter how Su Chen tried to hide, their scattered voices still inevitably reached his ears.

"Do you recognize her? I heard she's Lord He's daughter."

"I've heard of him. Wasn't he supposed to be in Suzhou with his brother? When did they arrive?"

"She's not particularly good-looking, and doesn't seem very intelligent either. How could she be Lord He's daughter?"