Chapter 192 Mooncake (6)
Orange lanterns hung in the distance. After finding a snack at a roadside snack shop, Xunzhou sent Wen Mingtang back to Dali Temple and said apologetically: "Sister Mingtang, I will come to the lantern festival to look for you later!"
On the way back just now, they met a disciple of Yu Jijiu who came to look for him. Wang He, who was out to visit friends, was brought back by Yu Jijiu and the others. They heard that they were in Xianyang, singing poems and drinking wine with others, and got drunk after drinking too much. , Xunzhou naturally had to rush to look after the drunk teacher.
Wen Mingtang said "hmm", looked at the anxious Xunzhou in front of him, and said, "It doesn't matter if you don't come! I made an appointment with Ah Bing, Tangyuan and the others to watch the lantern festival together. I won't be short of company!"
Xunzhou: "..." This is really the first time I have met such a straightforward little lady. Her temperament is really similar to that of my mentor!
Sighing, Xunzhou cupped his hands towards her, turned and left.
After returning to the house, Wen Mingtang took out a moon cake to eat, and looked up at the moon, which was as round as a silver plate. After admiring the moon, Wen Mingtang lowered his head and opened the new book he bought.
As we all know, it’s the most annoying thing when the story is halfway through and the rest is gone!
Time always flies very fast when I’m flipping through my notebook! Wen Mingtang felt as if he had only turned a few pages when he heard the sound of glutinous rice balls ringing from outside the hospital.
"Master Wen, we are here to find you!"
Putting down the notebook, Wen Mingtang walked out.
Outside was A Bingtong Tangyuan who had changed into a new outfit. Before Wen Mingtang could say anything, A Bingtong Tangyuan pointed at Wen Mingtang's clothes and said, "Master Wen looks really good in this new outfit!"
A few guards who were staying at Dali Temple on night duty happened to pass by at this time. When they heard the two children's "spiritual" praise, they couldn't help but put their foreheads in their hands: "Praising someone for their spirit is really..."
That’s all! This is the Dali Temple, not the Imperial College next door. Let’s just let things like studying happen!
Wen Mingtang, who was praised for his "spirit" in the room, "reciprocated the favor" and also praised the two people's "spirit". The three of them dressed in new clothes and brought the candied chestnuts, mung bean cakes, etc. prepared by Wen Mingtang. Snacks are out the door.
If you get hungry while shopping, you can always "replenish" something, but don't treat yourself badly!
By the time the three of them walked out of Dali Temple, the lanterns were already on. The three of them chatted while walking. When they reached Zhengyang Street where the lantern festival was held, there were already many people on the street.
Since they arrived quite early, the three of them were still able to stroll along.
The street is much busier than usual: there are jugglers who can "spit fire", "get through fire rings", and "break big rocks on the chest", and there are more vendors of all kinds, including those selling snacks and some selling Luban locks. , exquisite buckles and other gadgets, and more are selling various lanterns and masks.
Because Liu Yuan and Bai Zhu had been making lanterns these days, Wen Mingtang and others no longer felt that it was so novel.
But those who looked at the various masks became interested, especially those vivid rabbit masks, cat masks, and fox masks. They felt cute at first sight!
Watching A Bing and Tang Yuan choose masks with great interest, Wen Mingtang also became interested. Seeing that one of them picked a rabbit and the other picked a cat. In order to prevent them from having the same look, Wen Mingtang picked a fox mask, and then the three of them Then he happily put on his mask and prepared to go to the lantern festival.
But this joy quickly disappeared before he could even take two steps.
Looking at the pedestrians wearing all kinds of masks on the street, at a glance, whether they are rabbits, cats, foxes, Chang'e, Tianpeng, Wu Gang, etc., you can catch a lot of them.
The three of them looked at each other and took off their masks in unison.
Tie the mask back to his waist, Tang Yuan said angrily: "If you get separated while wearing this mask, I'm afraid you won't be able to find me!"
Tangyuan is not the only one who feels this way!
Looking at the pedestrians wearing masks all over the street, and the fireworks rising in the streets and alleys, the Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere becomes more and more intense. Standing on the high platform, you can hear the laughter coming from the streets below.
The people who went out to go shopping were very happy, but the officials of the Jingzhao Mansion in official robes on the stage not only had no smiles on their faces, but looked even more sad.
At this moment, several guards pushed aside the crowd from the audience and ran onto the high platform, saying anxiously: "Three more were lost in a while!"
As he spoke, he threw the Chang'e, rabbit and cat masks in his hands into the pile of scattered masks aside.
The guard said with an ugly face: "I have asked my relatives and friends, and the answers are similar! This mask of jade snow is cute, and the ladies like it, so they bought it and put it on. When the crowd rushed over, they immediately dispersed. When they come back, they want it again. Looking for someone, I pulled away the same masks around me, but I saw they were not... ahem..."
Because he spoke so hastily, the officer choked and coughed.
Another officer quickly answered: "After searching for most of the day, I couldn't find anyone, so these relatives and friends became anxious and came to look for me to report to the official!"
The officer who coughed a little more slowly said again: "I have been looking for most of the day and only found these masks scattered on the streets. But the streets are full of masks like this, I don't know if they belong to them!"
The more the officer talked, the expressions of the officials of Jingzhao Mansion became more and more ugly. When the officer finished speaking, the Yin of Jingzhao Mansion could not help but jump in anxiety: "We just started, and the lantern festival has not started yet, but more than ten people have been lost." You are a young lady in your prime, how can you do this?"
Every festival there must be a lost little lady! Some simply got separated from their families and came back after looking for them. Even if there are those who are unfortunate enough to be kidnapped, how could there be a time like this, when the night begins and a dozen of them are lost?
If it's just bad luck, this year's Mid-Autumn Festival will be the same as shame! But... when I think of the young ladies who got lost a few days ago: they are all young ladies of average age, with delicate and even beautiful looks.
In just a few days, so many young ladies have been lost. It would be strange if Chang'an City had "bad luck" this year!
"I don't know who did it. It's so hateful!" Jingzhao Prefecture Yin gritted his teeth and cursed, then turned to ask the servant next to him, "Have you ever gone to a brothel to interrogate? Let's see if any brothel suddenly charged more. Have you met a lot of young ladies who don’t know their origins?”
The officer said: "After interrogation, no brothel has many girls coming out! Even if there are one or two here and there, it is because they were unlucky enough to have a vicious elder or a gambler's father and brother. They have searched them inside and out. I haven’t seen these little ladies!”
"Where's Ren Yazi?" Jingzhao Fu Yin said, "Especially those who do business from other places!"
The officer shook his head and said: "No. Because of the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Reunion Festival, many people even went home early to celebrate the festival. Even those who stayed in Chang'an City said that these days there are not more things like this than usual. Every little girl can tell a way out, and the circle has never heard of any old enemy suddenly having more people!"
"Where is the inn?" Jingzhao Prefect asked again, "If you want to abduct people and have to pass through the inn, will there be a suspicious 'carriage' passing by?"
The officer shook his head: "No! Whenever a festival is approaching, both the inn and the city gate guards are very vigilant. I have never heard of these things!"
"Then where did these lost little ladies go?" Jingzhao Fuyin pointed at the crowds surging on the street and asked angrily, "Could it be that they all got lost themselves?"