At the beginning of this dynasty, a major rebellion once occurred.
Xia Weiming, the great general who had fought alongside Emperor Taizu to establish the Great Zhou empire, led a hundred thousand troops to approach the capital after Emperor Taizu's death, attempting to overthrow the succeeding Emperor Mingxiao and proclaim himself emperor.
The rebel army battled the fifty thousand imperial guards stationed in the capital for half a month. Xia Weiming eventually broke into the imperial palace, killed Emperor Mingxiao, who had been on the throne for less than three months, and proclaimed the establishment of a new dynasty the very next day.
Unfortunately, Xia Weiming was ultimately just a military man, skilled at conquering territory but utterly ignorant of political strategy and intrigue. The new Xia dynasty lasted less than a hundred days before Xia Weiming was mysteriously poisoned to death on the dragon bed.
After Xia Weiming's death, Li Min, a member of the Li imperial clan, joined forces with several young military officers to launch a palace coup, killing Xia Weiming's two sons and seizing control of the imperial palace.
Since Emperor Taizu's direct line had been completely wiped out by the Xia clan, the officials elected Li Min, a member of the imperial clan, to succeed to the throne and restore the Great Zhou dynasty. Li Min later became known as Emperor Gaozu.
Although the Li imperial family consistently refused to acknowledge the existence of the Xia dynasty that lasted less than a hundred days, it was an indisputable fact that the Li clan had been driven from their stronghold and their ancestral temples destroyed. Therefore, this event remained a humiliating and painful memory for the Li imperial family.
People in the Great Zhou dynasty knew more or less about this history of the Xia clan's usurpation, but because the Li family was unwilling to hear it mentioned, many details were deliberately forgotten.
Thus, many did not know that the day Xia Weiming launched his rebellion was during the capital's chrysanthemum festival in early September. That year, the clash of arms crushed the golden chrysanthemums covering the ground, leaving only the blood-red waters of the Yi River outside the capital's walls. Legend has it that the water level of the Yi River rose six or seven feet over half a month, caused by the blood and corpses of the fifty thousand imperial guards.
Ren Shimin likely painted this chrysanthemum scene based on an evening sunset, which is why the river appears a vivid red, with no intention of alluding to the Xia rebellion.
However, in her previous life, after Ren Shimin's death, this painting became a tool for Zeng Pu to threaten the Ren Family. He claimed that the Ren Family's "rebellious painting" supported the Prince of Yanbei in emulating the Xia clan and raising troops to rebel.
Ren Yaoqi had always believed this "Autumn Chrysanthemums" painting was fabricated by Zeng Pu, as she had never seen it among Ren Shimin's works.
Now it seemed Ren Shimin had indeed painted such a work, but it was done during his trip to the capital and coincidentally gifted to Han Yunqian on his way back to Yanbei, which was why she had never seen it.
But how did this painting eventually end up in Zeng Pu's hands, even becoming a means for him to threaten the Ren Family? What role did the Han Family play in this?
Lost in thought, Ren Yaoqi's gaze toward Han You grew somewhat distant.
Han You, feeling uneasy under her stare, involuntarily took a step back.
Ren Yaoting frowned and stepped in front of Han You. "Fifth Sister, what are you doing?"
Ren Yaohua also found it strange and nudged her gently.
Ren Yaoqi snapped back to reality and, seeing everyone's surprised expressions, forced a smile. "It's nothing. I suddenly remembered a dream." She then turned her gaze back to Han You, who stood behind Ren Yaoting, lingering for just a moment before offering a gentle smile. "I'm sorry, I was thinking of something else just now. I didn't scare you, did I?"Han You breathed a sigh of relief, revealing a relieved smile. "You gave me a fright. I thought I had said something wrong and offended you. I'm glad that's not the case. What kind of dream did you just recall? Would you like to share it? My mother says that if you speak of a nightmare, it becomes less frightening."
Meeting Han You's pure, slightly concerned gaze, Ren Yaoqi felt a complex mix of emotions. "That dream... I was standing on a high cliff, with no one around. The only path was a steep stone staircase leading down to an unfathomable abyss. One misstep would mean being dashed to pieces."
This dream was not something she had fabricated. In her previous life, after leaving the Ren Family, she often had this dream. No matter how far she climbed down the stone steps, there was no end in sight, nor any way out. The dream always ended with her losing her footing, falling off the cliff, and waking up in terror.
Ren Yaoyu, however, scoffed. "What's so frightening about that? I thought it would be something like ghosts or wild beasts!"
Ren Yaoqi smiled faintly and did not argue.
Children always believed that ghosts and wild beasts were the most terrifying things. They did not yet understand that the most frightening things in this world were despair and hopelessness.
"I've never had such a dream, but I also find it quite frightening," Han You kindly comforted her.
"If you stop overthinking, you won't have these messy dreams!" Ren Yaohua said dismissively.
Ren Yaoqi gently exhaled, a relaxed smile appearing on her face. "Alright, where should we go next?"
Ren Yaoyu immediately spoke up first. "Let's go to the street behind the Guan Gong Temple. I heard there's a dragon dance and a 'Nine-Bend Dragon Gate Lantern Array' there."
Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua had no objections. Ren Yaoting looked at Han You, who smiled and nodded. "Alright, I've long heard that the town will set up the 'Nine-Bend Dragon Gate Lantern Array' this year. I heard it's quite labor-intensive and requires experts in the Eight Trigrams and formations to design it, so it's only set up once every five years. I've been wanting to see it."
"Then let's go take a look," Ren Yaoting agreed with a nod.
"Shall we leave the carriage here and walk? It's not far from here anyway, and with so many people on the streets, it'll be lively," Ren Yaoyu suggested.
At these words, Han You's eyes lit up. She rarely had the chance to go out, let alone walk openly on the streets with friends like this.
Watching the young men and women strolling in twos and threes along the lantern-lit streets, she couldn't help but feel envious. However, being shy by nature, she would never voice such a suggestion herself.
Ren Yaoting, observant as ever, immediately agreed and then asked Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua, "What about Third Sister and Fifth Sister? Would you like to join us?"
Her question was polite, but the implication was clear: whether Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua agreed or not, they had already decided to walk.
Ren Yaohua glanced at the pedestrians on the street and felt somewhat tempted. She then looked at Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Yaoqi was never one to mind such things, so she nodded. "Then let's walk. But make sure none of the maids or attendants get separated from us. Although White Crane Town isn't particularly unsafe, it's still crowded with people coming and going."
Ren Yaoyu interrupted impatiently but happily. "As if we needed you to say that! These people wouldn't dare lose track of us anyway!"
And so, the group, accompanied by a crowd of maids and attendants, headed toward the street behind the Guan Gong Temple.Ren Yaoting and Han You walked ahead arm in arm, while Ren Yaoyu, accompanied by her maids and attendants, browsed the roadside stalls as they went. In her excitement, she bought over a dozen lanterns, which she had the people following her carry back.
Ren Yaoqi walked alongside Ren Yaohua.
"Third Sister, aren’t you buying any lanterns?" Ren Yaoqi asked.
"If you want them, buy them yourself. I don’t want any. Where would we even hang them if we brought them back?" Ren Yaohua was merely enjoying the lively scene and had no interest in the lanterns.
Ren Yaoqi had only asked casually. Her mind was still preoccupied with the painting, thinking that no matter what, she must find a way to retrieve it.
The two walked on in silence. As they neared the back street, they encountered a long dragon dance procession, and the crowd surged toward them. Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua paused at the edge of the crowd to watch for a while.
"Huh? Where are Seventh Sister and the others?" Ren Yaohua craned her neck to look around and suddenly asked.
Ren Yaoqi also glanced around, but all she saw were people, with no sign of the three of them.
"They probably pushed their way to the front," Ren Yaoqi said uncertainly.
Ren Yaohua looked around again, but there were too many people ahead of them to make out anyone clearly.
"Forget it. They’re definitely going to see the Nine-Curve Dragon Gate Lantern Maze. Let’s wait for them there."
Ren Yaoqi nodded in agreement.
The two skirted around the bustling crowd and headed toward the location of the maze.
The Nine-Curve Dragon Gate Lantern Maze was set up on a flat piece of land behind the Guan Gong Temple, covering about two acres. Ice walls, about seven feet high, were formed by pouring water, and inside were three hundred and sixty lanterns. The maze had only one entrance and one exit. Those unfamiliar with the layout would inevitably circle back to the entrance no matter how they tried to navigate it—this was the unique feature of the Nine-Curve Dragon Gate Lantern Maze.
Setting up such a maze was time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly.
When Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua reached the entrance, they saw a few onlookers, but very few dared to venture inside, fearing they wouldn’t find their way out.
"This lantern maze is so beautiful!" the maids exclaimed joyfully.
The ice lantern maze, illuminated by the lanterns, was as dazzling as crystal. Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but stare in awe.
"Isn’t that the young master of the Han Family?" Xiangqin suddenly pointed into the distance.
"Huh? Third Young Master is there too?" Xiangqin added belatedly.
Ren Yaoqi looked up and indeed saw Han Yunqian and Ren Yijun standing outside the lantern maze, talking. It was no wonder Xiangqin had noticed Han Yunqian first. Though young, he carried an air of quiet composure and stood out with his graceful demeanor. Ren Yijun’s delicate features and gloomy temperament naturally paled in comparison.
Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but frown. Hadn’t Ren Yijun been at odds with Han Yunqian? How could the two of them appear here together?
After a moment’s thought, Ren Yaoqi said to Ren Yaohua, "Since we’ve run into them, we should go and greet them."
Ren Yaohua offered no objection, and the two walked over to Ren Yijun and Han Yunqian.
Just then, they overheard Ren Yijun saying, "If you can find your way out within a quarter of an hour, I’ll believe you. How about that?"
Han Yunqian was about to reply when he looked up and saw the two sisters.
"Yaoqi, you’re here too?" Ren Yijun ignored Ren Yaohua entirely, greeting only Ren Yaoqi with a surprisingly friendly tone.
Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua curtsied in greeting, and Han Yunqian clasped his hands in return.Ren Yaoqi smiled and said to Ren Yijun, "I had wanted to invite you to see the lanterns earlier, but I heard you had already gone out. So you came with Mr. Han?"
Ren Yijun rolled his eyes. "Who came with him? I just happened to run into him at a friend's gathering. I said I wanted to see the Nine-Curve Dragon Gate Lantern Array, and he wanted to see it too, so we came together."
Typos corrected~^^
(To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian () to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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