Zhongyuan Festival in the Tang Dynasty is a more lively festival, every day on this day, Chang'an City three nights in Jinwu can't help it, the city gate is wide open, a term of the people to swim with the pleasure!

On this day of celebration of the whole world, the people of Chang'an also came out with their families.

When Luo Tong and Princess Changle left the palace, it was not yet dark, but there were already naughty children who lit all kinds of lanterns that had been prepared, cheered and jumped in the streets and alleys, and occasionally children with pouting buttocks quietly lit a firecracker, decorating the festive atmosphere at the same time, attracting the screams of the little friends around them, making the market more innocent noise.

Before Princess Changle met Luo Tong, she rarely went out of the palace to play, and occasionally went out of the palace to sit in a carriage, and never had the experience of walking the streets. Therefore, he was extremely curious about everything, looking left and right, and before the night began, he was already smiling.

As soon as the sky falls dark, the people who have been waiting for a long time come out with their families, and light the first lantern in the palace, but the kung fu of half a pillar of incense, the whole city is already full of lanterns, illuminate the sky at the same time, but also make Chang'an bright as day, fall into the sea of fire, Daodaofang Street crowds surge, it can be said that the air is like clouds, sweating like rain.

Where did Princess Changle think that the real Shangyuan Festival would be so lively, and she was speechless in surprise.

Luo Tong smiled: "It's a holiday! The royal family has the royal law, and the people also have the people's law! The royal family pays attention to the pomp and luxury, while the people pay attention to only one point...... That's the excitement! Compared to the royal mid-year festival, I like the common people more. ”

Since Princess Changle left the palace and walked on the street, the smile on her face has never been broken, and when she heard Luo Tong's words, she also nodded in agreement: "Me too, although this is my first time participating, this lively scene has a more festive atmosphere." I never thought that the people were so festive, and they were really envious. ”

Luo Tong said with a smile: "Tonight is the Midyear Festival, and it is the Buddhist Yulan Lantern Festival!" The two sections are in one, and naturally it is very lively. The most lively place of the Yulan Lantern Festival every year is on both sides of Weishui, different from the Shangyuan Festival, the Zhongyuan Festival is a ghost lantern, and the water is yin, so all kinds of lighting are concentrated in the water, and the two sides of Weishui are the places where the Bon and the Buddha light fight, so the two sides of Weishui are almost crowded with people, and hundreds of thousands of residents with their wives and children flock to the two banks of Weishui to watch the lanterns. ”

Buddhism flourished in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and the government and the people attached great importance to the Obon Festival, and the Obon of the major temples were all supported by the government, and the pots were sent every year to offer all kinds of miscellaneous goods, as well as the pots, musicians, and officials who sent the pots, etc., the day of the Obon Festival was grand and enthusiastic.

But the folk is more called the Zhongyuan Festival, this heaven and earth officials are on duty, hungry ghosts are pardoned, and are escorted to the yang world to eat, so every household cooks rice and steamed cakes, and offers fruits for the underground ancestors to go home to eat, and at the same time put up lanterns to expel evil ghosts, plus the powerful and famous Yulan to offer pots, fight for Buddha light, attract people to bring their wives and children to enjoy the fun, this day has become a prosperous day for people and ghosts to enjoy together.

The midyear festival is the seventh and a half months, but in fact, it starts from the beginning of July to welcome the ancestors, a large number of paper money and dark wealth are burned, and it continues until July 15 to send the ancestors, every household wants to worship the ancestors, and the official sacrifice is the soul of the fallen soldiers.

Changle's eyes showed a look of yearning, and he almost begged Luo Tong: "Brother, let's go to Wei to see the lights too, okay?" ”

"I don't know if Wan'er and Yaochi have gone, so I will make an appointment with them, and there will be many people to take care of them."

Luo Tong hadn't been to see the lanterns for three or four years, and thinking that Yaochi and the others had never seen the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty Lantern Festival, they should also be let see it. When the two arrived at home, they learned that Zheng Liwan and Yao Chi had left with Jin Fengwei and other female guards half an hour ago.

"Generally speaking, there are millions of people on both sides of the Weishui River, so let's ride together so as not to get separated." On the back of the arrow, Luo Tong stretched out his hand to Changle.

"Okay!"

It is rare to be alone in the festival, Changle stretched out his hand happily and let Luo Tong pull the horse.

The two rode together and rushed to Weishui.

Chang'an is already full of people, and most of the goals are the same, although it is not so exaggerated as crowding, but there are many people who walk together in groups of three or five, even if there are horses, they are not fast.

The closer you get to Weishui, the denser the tourists.

"What do you see is that? Dazzling ......" in Luo Tong's arms, Changle pointed to the distance, only to see a light tower more than ten zhang high in the distance, the light wheel is bright, constantly changing colors!

Luo Tong raised his eyes and looked at it, and couldn't help but be amazed, there was a giant light wheel hundreds of meters away from them, tens of thousands of lanterns, reflecting each other, extremely spectacular.

"Let's go, let's see!"

The two of them slowly squeezed forward, and when they came close, they were even more speechless, in front of them was a towering giant colorful light wheel that was more than ten zhang wide and as high as ten zhang!

There is a white jade pot on the colorful light wheel, and there is a white jade pot on it, which enshrines a jade tree with a height of one foot and five feet, and there are countless trees around it, and each branch is covered with various colored lamps and various jewels and gold emeralds. It's dazzling, you can't even see it, and there are as many as 20,000 lamps to count it carefully, which is a big hand.

I don't know how this colorful light wheel is designed, the giant light wheel moves with the wind, constantly changing colors, dazzling, breathtaking, attracting a large number of people to watch the lights.

Changle was stunned.

Luo Tong was also amazed.

Coming closer, Luo Tong is even more so, the colorful light wheel is placed on a big ship, the light wheel is already so dazzling, but it is nothing compared to the Yu Lan Popnia.

The white jade basin with a diameter of one zhang is carved with a whole piece of beautiful jade, moist and crystalline, unique in the world, followed by coral, a red coral is one zhang high, if connected to the golden pedestal, it is three feet high, the branches are rich, like a coral tree, this tall red coral is also unique in the world, there are nine hundred and eighty-one golden Buddhas hanging on the coral tree, the wonderful thing is that the eighty-one golden Buddhas are in different postures, none of them are repeated, and the production is lifelike.

Behind the Yu Lan Podon is a huge lotus lamp, which very skillfully gathers the light and reflects it on the coral tree and the jade pot, making the whole treasure pot bright and transparent, radiant, forming a huge halo, looking at it from a distance, it is brilliant, the Buddha's light is prosperous, causing the surrounding people to be amazed.

Weishui lantern and Yulan Buddha light are the two grand scenes in the capital on the night of the Midyear Festival, Weishui lantern viewing is in Weishui, and Yulan Buddha light is generally in Yongxingfang, this is because the capital's powerful families and ministers basically live on both sides of Yongxingfang. The Buddha light of Yulan can only appear in front of the mansions of the powerful and famous.

Almost every household has to make a bowl, but the bowl of a small family is simple to make, that is, fruits, vegetables, rice and other foods, or placed in front of the door. Invite passers-by to eat it, or place it in a temple and worship the Buddha.

The wealthy families such as the powerful and the ministers have gradually changed their taste, and they do not want to be on the same level as small households, so they use pearls and jade instead of vegetables and fruits, and gold and silver grains instead of rice. Elaborately decorated, placed in front of the house gate to worship the passing gods and Buddhas, at night, and the lamp is reflected, so that the jewels are brilliant, dazzling, and the light wheel is formed from afar. Therefore, secular people call it the Buddha's light, and the Buddha's light comes from this.

After the peace of the world, the Buddha light of Yu Lan became popular in Chang'an, and the people of Shishu watched the lanterns and appreciated the wealth, and flocked to it, making the Buddha light of Yu Lan a great scene in Kyoto.

It's the first time to get a big ship in Weishui, this boat is priceless, many things are unique, and I don't know who is so rich and shows off.

At this moment, a middle-aged businessman with a simple face and a simple dress appeared on the treasure ship, holding a golden gong in his hand, and struck it three times, looking like he had something to say. The surroundings gradually quieted down, and they all quietly watched what the middle-aged businessman was going to say.

"Zheng Sheng, the steward of the Zheng family in Chang'an, ......" As soon as the middle-aged businessman reported that he understood, there was an uproar all around.

Zheng Sheng's name is not known, but the Zheng family's business name is very famous, and it is the largest cloth merchant in the world. When Luo Shixin was the head of Jiangzhou, he had heard of the Zheng family firm and the name of Zheng Fengchi, the richest man in the Tang Dynasty, who was recognized as the richest man in the Tang Dynasty. According to legend, after Li Yuan became the ruler of Chang'an, Zheng Fengchi sent Wanguan's family wealth as military expenses, and was even received by Li Yuan. His family property is innumerable, his mansions are all over the sea, and he interacts with the powerful, and he is in the market. Datang Xinli has a lot of expenses, and whenever the finances are tight, Zheng Fengchi will generously contribute money and help.

He even showed off his wealth in front of Li Yuan, saying that each tree on Zhongnan Mountain hung a silk horse, and all the trees on the mountain were full, and he still had surplus silk at home. His daughter got married, there were thousands of guests, and when the bride appeared, there were 300 maidservants beside her, all of them were all Qiluo Zhucui, hanging hairpins and swaying shoes, and they were so brilliant that people couldn't tell which one was the bride.

It can be seen that the Zheng family is rich, rich and rivals the country, and only the Zheng family can come up with such a hand.

Zheng Sheng continued: "On this festive night of the Middle Yuan, the big proprietors specially purchased jade pots from the Western Regions, and the Yamato purchased this coral treasure tree, decorated it, and made it into a treasure pot to celebrate the festival. This treasure pot is named Pudu Sentient Beings. Whoever answers more questions will have the opportunity to invite his family on the boat, receive 28 monks to pray for blessings and nine jade bowls full of pearls, and also have the opportunity to enjoy the night view of Weishui with the boat. ”

As soon as Zheng Xi's voice fell, the joy all over the ground thundered.

Not to mention the high-level blessings, just nine jade bowls full of pearls are exciting. One by one, they were as if they had been beaten with chicken blood, with the mentality of winning, quietly waiting for Zheng Xi to come up with the question.

Guessing this in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period appeared in a way of entertainment, at that time it was called "hidden language", to the Han and Wei dynasties began to be called "riddle", with the guessing of the riddle, this way was also popular in the Three Kingdoms era.

Zheng Feng is rich and likes to show off, at this time, he actually ingeniously made the treasure pot of Pudu sentient beings, and also made the riddle on the lantern, making a lantern riddle, in addition to timely cooperating with the mentality of people praying for blessings, it is really not simple to lure it with profit.

Luo Tong said in Changle's ear: "Zheng Fengchi is not only building momentum for himself, but also being able to accurately figure out the hearts of others, and come up with this attractive activity, which is indeed not a simple character. The richest man in the Tang Dynasty is also well-deserved. ”

"Yes! Although the nine jade bowls full of pearls are priceless, after tonight, everyone remembers Zheng Fengchi and the Zheng family's firm! When buying cloth in the future, the first thing people think of is the Zheng family's business, which is a profitable business, and this Zheng Fengchi is really powerful. When Princess Changle said this, she chuckled and said, "Brother, shall we grab these nine jade bowls?" ”

"Good! See who answers more. Luo Tong laughed.

Princess Changle stared at the front tightly and said, "It's about to start!" Do not say. ”

In anticipation, the first lantern riddle flew with the confetti of the salute, and the banner like a couplet fell and appeared in front of the public.

I saw a banner with six simple words written on it: "Battle on the palace wall!" There is another hint at the end: "Guess the name of a famous battle in ancient times!" ”

Luo Tong didn't want to say in a loud voice: "The Battle of Red Cliffs!" ”

Everyone around was stunned for a moment, and then realized that someone applauded and praised.

"That's amazing!" Chang Le, who was sitting in Luo Tong's arms, smiled and worshipped: "I haven't even thought about it, let my brother pull out the top prize like this!" ”

Luo Tong smiled: "This anagram is not difficult, if it is difficult, it will not achieve the effect they want." The Zheng family has made such a big noise, it will be embarrassing if the jade bowl can't be sent! "The purpose of the promotion is to send the gift out, so that people believe in the authenticity of the promotion, so as to start the name of the merchant, if you can't send it will only have the opposite effect.

Princess Changle suddenly said: "I see. ”

While they were talking, a letter was sent by a figure dressed as a fellow. The second anagram also came out.

"Half of the Spring and Autumn Period, play the name of an ancient country."

Luo Daodao: "Qin! ”

Guessing is a time-honored intellectual game that originated in the I Ching Bagua. It is also one of the traditional Chinese cultures, it is not a blind guess, it is necessary to pay attention to the method, and it is still very knowledgeable. The previous question is the most basic method of splitting words, and half of the Spring and Autumn Period is naturally Qin.

Luo Tong played it when he was very young, and his reaction was a little faster than the ancients he didn't come into contact with often.

After all, although the guessing puzzle was popular for a while during the Three Kingdoms period. But it was the Song Dynasty, not the Tang Dynasty, that really popularized lantern riddles.

"Correct!" Luo Tong got another citation.

After the third question came out, Luo Tong was a little dumbfounded, and obediently shut up and didn't think about it. The riddle of this question is "Huo Qu is sick!" Guess a sentence from the Book of Rites! ”

Even though Luo Tong has a lot of experience in positive guessing, reverse guessing, side guessing, sub-guessing, increasing and losing guessing, etc., although he has read the "Book of Rites", this book has 90,000 words, and every word is profound and difficult to understand, and he has not worked hard, how to understand it clearly? I thought about it for a long time, but I had no clue!

But just when he gave up, Changle in his arms said: "It's the recovery of illness in the Book of Rites." ”

Luo Tong was surprised, although Changle was young, he was knowledgeable. The quickness of his thinking was far from what he expected.

The fourth question is "Take the king and the other in the middle!" Hit a character! ”

Luo Tong thought for a moment and said loudly: "It's Ma Chao!" ”

The fifth question is "It's hard to be a man in two times!" Guess the word! ”

Luo Tong had heard this question before, and he replied without thinking about it: "It's a word!" ”

At this moment, the literati and artists around him were a little uneasy.

Someone comes out on top, and they can laugh it off, but five questions in a row are taken away without hesitation, that is, the rhythm of being compared, which is not fun. Most people take it seriously.

The sixth question is a long banner like a couplet, which reads, "Spread your wings and soar, the birds return to the house, the dolls offer plans, and the walls are chiseled to borrow light." There is a sentence written at the end of the sentence with the name of one person! ”

Luo Channel: "Spread your wings and soar, Zhang Fei!" ”

As soon as his voice fell, Changle immediately answered: "The bird returns to the room, Guan Yu!" ”

At this moment, a familiar voice came from not far away: "Doll offers, Sun Ce!" Chisel the wall to borrow light, Kong Ming!

Luo Tong hit a spirit, and greeted the prestige, and sure enough, Zheng Liwan, this girl, was standing not far away. Today, she is wearing a delicate yellow gown, smiling and standing in the crowd, her skin is brighter than snow, her eyes are like a pool of clear water, delicate and vulgar, she is really like a pearl and faint, beautiful jade and shining, and she cannot be a square object.

When she turned her eyes, she also saw the Yao Chi beside her! Her jet-black hair was tied up in a princess bun, and on the bun was a beaded hairpin, on which the tassel hung down, and when she walked, the tassel swayed and dazzling. Miaoman's body is concave and convex, his waist is as if he is unbearable, his jade is fair, his skin is like snow, and his demeanor is charming, like a god. A pair of spiritual eyes are as deep as a mirror and a secluded lake, and the ** people are really hooked, and the three souls are long, and the seven spirits are swinging.