The celebration of the 100th birthday is divided into two parts: a sacrifice and a night feast.

In the evening, countless five-colored glass lanterns are hung in the Suzaku Palace, and on the stone railings, eaves, and branches, the glass lanterns are brilliant and bright. In the imperial garden, there are all kinds of bonsai-shaped ice crystal wind lanterns, and the clear stream pond is full of gold and pearlescent.

According to the female official who taught the history course of Qingling Kingdom, the 100-year-old festival is a celebration every hundred years after the founding of Chaoyan, and lighting the glass lantern is to take the auspicious meaning of "a thousand autumns are bright and the world is bright".

Qing Ling changed into a gorgeous dress, and under the service of more than ten entourages, he drove the royal chariot and went straight to the highest place of the Vermilion Bird Palace, the top of the sun and the moon.

The top of the sun and moon is a high platform used for sacrifices, and the tall and wide steps are paved with snow-white white stone, and the top of the temple is made of red gold, which is very revered and dazzling against the backdrop of silver lanterns on both sides.

On the viewing seats on both sides of the steps, there have been many guests standing in solemn costumes, including important ministers of the court and China, as well as representatives of the family.

Qing Ling got off the royal chariot at the high platform under the steps, and at a glance saw Mu Chen under the glass lamp not far away.

He was dressed in a heavy brocade white robe, with a long body and a cold atmosphere, with the dignity and elegance of the first sight, even if he stood silently, people couldn't help but admire.

Qingling heard from the palace people that Prince Mu Chen, who was originally going to leave for Fuyu Mountain after the Centennial Day celebration, was able to stay in the Vermilion Bird Palace until next spring because of Emperor Mu Jing's intercession in front of His Majesty.

Qing Ling speculated about the purpose of Ah Jing's move, and inevitably thought that maybe the queen had something else to do, so she deliberately tried to trap Mu Chen in Lingxiao City.

Mu Chen didn't want her to get involved in the struggle for power, which he had always made clear. And recently, even Chun Yuyan seems to have suddenly disappeared, no longer coming to Qingling, no longer eagerly encouraging her to do something.

This made Qing Ling feel extremely lonely, lonely as if standing in a flat boat in the vast ocean, panicked and didn't know where to go.

In the past, when she was in Chongwu, she lived without goals and ambitions, and she could smile contentedly for a few delicious snacks, and she never felt bored and lonely. But since she tied her fate to Mu Chen, she could no longer live as peacefully and freely as she did in the past.

She was desperate to prove to him that she was not as vulnerable as he thought.

Qing Ling hesitated for a moment and slowly walked in the direction of Mu Chen.

But at this moment, dozens of palace people hurriedly came on the other side of the high platform, bowing down to hold the wind lantern and lining a passage.

Emperor Chaoyan, dressed in a crown robe, walked slowly with Queen Fangshan. Behind them were several richly dressed concubines, two of whom each held the young prince by the hand.

Queen Fangshan saw Qing Ling from a distance, greeted her with a smile, and introduced her to the concubines and princes behind her.

In addition to the queen, Emperor Hao had a total of seven concubines, four of whom had children. The two princes, Youning and Zhecheng, who came with their mother, were young, but after all, they were born in the royal family, and their manners were very decent, and they respectfully stepped forward to salute Qingling, and called her "Sister Wang" in a milky voice.

Qing Ling bent down and touched the heads of his two younger brothers, feeling a little heartfelt joy for the first time because of his sudden rebirth.

The queen summoned Mu Han and the other two adult princes to greet each other with Qing Ling.

Mu Han and Qingling have known each other for a long time, but because of the formality of the occasion, they still pretended to bow.

The second prince was thin and weak, his face was pale, and he was very humble and polite when he spoke. The third prince Hao Advocacy is sword-eyed, handsome, and very talkative. They had heard of Qingling for a long time, and they had all seen her from afar in the palace, but due to the etiquette system, they couldn't come forward to talk without authorization, and they didn't officially meet until today.

For example, among the children of the royal family, several children of the concubine are named with the word "Mu", while the other children of the concubine do not have this qualification, which shows the difference. When the sun and moon are sacrificed, they are also carried out in the order of the concubines.

The auspicious time is coming, and the emperor and the queen stepped on the white stone steps with a solemn expression, and slowly walked up with their heads raised. Several concubines, with long skirts, followed closely.

After that, there is Prince Mu Chen, who has recently returned to the royal family, and Emperor Qingling.

At this moment, no matter how dazzling the costumes of the others on the stone steps were, the eyes of everyone on the viewing platform were all focused on these two.

I saw that the two of them were separated by some distance, and slowly walked up the stairs, their expressions seemed to be a little cold and stunned.

Qing Ling was wearing a gorgeous crimson long skirt, covered with silk and gold fire lotus coats, and her jet-black hair was pulled up with a red gold hairpin wrapped around the pearls, revealing a face with bright eyes and red lips and a beautiful face. Maybe it's because of the condensation in her expression, which makes the whole person's temperament seem a little arrogant, and the original overly luxurious outfit does not reveal a trace of disobedience in her.

However, Qing Ling's mood at this time was not as calm and arrogant as the guests speculated, but an unprecedented mixed taste.

She tilted her head slightly, looked at Mu Chen beside her, and saw that he seemed to be very accustomed to such occasions, always walking calmly and with a solemn expression, revealing the momentum of supreme dignity.

Qing Ling lost his mind for a moment, his thoughts were confused, and he had a ridiculous illusion, feeling that the two of them walked side by side like this, which was a bit like ...... Walked on the wedding......

The two of them slowly stepped to the top of the stairs and stood behind the emperor and queen. Ah Jing and Mu Han also walked up and stood together with Mu Chen and Qing Ling, while the princes and concubines behind were separated from each other.

The great uncle chanted the sacrificial words, and the members of the royal family stepped forward one by one to kneel and pay respects.

In the process of the ceremony, Qing Ling had already practiced repeatedly under the guidance of the female officer, and now she is very familiar with the formalities. When it was her turn to step forward, the great uncle recited a complicated greeting, to the effect that Queen Zhang's daughter would return to the royal family and the whole country would celebrate together.

On the genealogy, her name is recorded as Chaoyan Muyan. It is said that this is the name of the girl that Emperor Hao had chosen before she was born. However, she has been known as "Qingling" for a long time, and Emperor Hao gave her her title, and her usual title still uses these two words.

Qing Ling didn't like the name Mo Qian gave herself since she was a child, so she often complained in front of her master, and secretly envied other people's elegant and feminine names. But when she really had such a name, her feelings were extremely complicated and even repulsive.

Mu Yan ......

Mu Chen......

When I heard it, it was my brother and sister.

Qing Ling patiently listened to the blessings, finished the salute step by step, and got up and stood aside.

On the audience under the stage, there were many people, and countless eyes converged on her.

Many people here have seen Qingling in Chongwu. But at that time, she burst into tears, begging the Holy Monarch of Moqian to help save Mu Chen, and her expression and posture were far from the arrogant Queen Zhanggu in her memory. Today, seeing her standing tall and looking cold, I realized that she was indeed quite similar to the Xuannu of the past.

After the lengthy ritual was over, everyone moved to the main hall for a feast.

Qing Ling was arranged on the lower left side of the emperor's throne, next to Ah Jing.

After the emperor raised the lamp and said some crown words, there was a palace beauty lotus step of the warbler Yanyan ascended to the palace, and cheered the guests with singing and dancing music. On the main hall, the gold and silver are glowing, the lilies are burning, and the golden cui Luo Qi and the jade cicada are dancing, and the eyes are dizzying.

Ah Jing raised her wine glass, took a sip, and sighed to herself boredly: "It's this class of singers again." I have watched the same song and dance for hundreds of years, and I am tired of watching it. ”

The maid behind her whispered, "The emperor is very right, and the slave thinks so too. ”

Qing Ling smiled when he heard this: "This centennial festival is only once in a hundred years, right?" You're not yet 300 years old, and you've only seen singing and dancing twice at most, so why don't you get tired of it? ”

Ah Jing glanced at Qing Ling sideways, and said angrily, "What do you know?" In addition to the 100-year-old festival, there are many festivals such as Shangyuan, Shangsi, Chongming, and the moon, is it only this singing and dancing night banquet? I don't know it, and I'm embarrassed to talk about others! ”

Qingling was not annoyed, and turned her head to look at Ah Jing with a smile, "Really?" That's what I said wrongly, sister. ”

Ah Jing didn't expect Qingling to suddenly change her sex, and actually took the initiative to admit her mistake, and she was a little uncomfortable for a while, raising her glass and sipping wine, but didn't answer.

After a while, Qing Ling asked again: "By the way, who are you going with for a night treasure hunt later?" ”

According to custom, after the official banquet of the Centennial Festival, there will be a special program for young people in the palace, which will last until dawn the next day. The night treasure hunt mentioned by Qing Ling is one of the maze games, in which men and women enter the battle in pairs to find the treasures hidden in them. The unmarried children of the nobles in Lingxiao City usually take this opportunity to invite their favorite women to participate in the event, taking the opportunity to show their talents.

Ah Jing didn't want to deal with Qingling, but now she couldn't help but open her mouth, "Harmony...... Hundred miles of the world. ”

Like all girls who are just starting to fall in love, Ah Jing is not only shy about the hidden feelings in her heart, but also wants the whole world to know that Daze's son invited her to go on a night trip alone! She couldn't wait, looking forward to the end of this boring banquet sooner, and to appearing in full view with that handsome man......

Qing Ling sighed "oh" and sighed with envy: "Seventh Senior Brother, he is very powerful at breaking the formation!" In the past, the Xuantian Four Elephant Array set up by the master did not know how many people had been stumped, but he still cracked it. You two have a big chance of winning! ”

No matter how arrogant Ah Jing is, she can't hide the hidden sweetness in her heart, and the corners of her mouth are slightly pursed and said, "Really? Can...... Not necessarily. Brother Dawang is proficient in formations, and in previous years, the formations in Meiyuan were personally arranged by him. This year, he didn't participate in the formation, so he should be able to participate in the game, and as long as he comes, the chances of others winning are much smaller. ”

Qing Ling's fingertips gently rubbed the rim of the hollow cup in his hand, and asked thoughtfully, "I heard that you interceded with your father and postponed the date of the eldest brother's trip to Fuyu Mountain?" ”

Ah Jing became alert and glanced at Qing Ling, "So what?" Everyone is a sibling, so what's wrong with me interceding for my brother? ”

She has always been afraid that Qingling will reveal the past, and let her father know that she had disobeyed the imperial order to go out to find Mu Chen, and at this moment she simply made her words clear: "At the beginning, I also cared about the friendship between brothers and sisters, so I followed Sister Shiyin to Chongwu to find the eldest brother." At that time, he was tortured by the thunder of heaven, and he ...... again" paused, "Anyway, even if you tell my father, I won't be afraid!" You saved him in front of so many people in the Ganyuan Conference, and my father never blamed you, let alone me? If you want to sue, just sue, don't keep blackmailing me! ”

Qing Ling pondered Ah Jing's words, and said with a smile: "Why should I sue you? I was just thinking, maybe I misjudged you before. In fact, you are also a kind-hearted girl, although you are fierce to me on the surface, but if I really fall into trouble one day, you will not ignore the love of sisterhood, right? ”

Ah Jing snorted coldly, thinking to herself that I was not taken care of by you when I was young, and you did not suffer because of my mother, how can you be compared to the eldest brother? Think beautifully!

Qing Ling ignored Ah Jing's expression and continued: "When I was in Chongwu before, I saw that the seventh junior brother liked you so much, and I also persuaded him that you have a rough temperament and slap people at every turn, if he really marries you, he can only suffer. Now it seems that I was a little too one-sided......"

Ah Jing's eyes seemed to be shining, "What did you say?" He ...... He ......"

Before he could say anything, his cheeks were already flushed, and his previous edge suddenly faded, leaving only the shyness and eagerness of his little daughter.

Qing Ling hurriedly covered his mouth, "Ah, didn't he tell you yet?" He waved his hand, "Then I didn't say anything, I didn't say anything!" ”

Where can Ah Jing still sit still, her heart is like a kitten scratching, she can't wait to pounce on Qingling and ask Qingling all the details she knows, but one can't pull her face, and the other doesn't want to show her mind too much that she cares about Luo Yao, so she has to save the country and ask in a roundabout way: "Then you...... Who are you on a treasure hunt tonight? ”