Firecrackers exploded, and lanterns illuminated the night like dragons. According to the customs of the Wu Dynasty, the city would light up on the thirteenth day of the first lunar month and keep the festivities going until the seventeenth, making it a five-day celebration filled with dragon and lion dances that lasted day and night. However, the most vibrant celebration occurred on the fifteenth during the Lantern Festival, with snow still unthawed and various lantern fairs and poetry gatherings in full swing—these events sometimes surpassing even the scale of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The excitement of this night lacked the fiery competition of the poetry contests from the Mid-Autumn Festival; instead, it bore the festive atmosphere of gatherings that had been postponed since the New Year. On Mid-Autumn night, people enjoyed the scholarly air of talented poets, but during the Lantern Festival, the focus shifted to celebrating with family and friends—eating glutinous rice balls, solving riddles from lanterns, and strolling through night markets—before paying attention to the poetic performances of the literati.
The reasons for this shift were complex: heavy snowfall had hindered travel, reducing the flow of merchants and visitors, and some scholars had returned to their hometowns before the New Year. Poetry gatherings did occur, but they lacked the clear distinctions of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Poyuan Poetry Gathering and Zhi Shui Poetry Gathering were not officially held during the Lantern Festival, which typically showcased performances by students from Lichuan Academy, the official school of Jiangning. If it weren't for the influence of the Zhi Shui Poetry Gathering held by the Pan family during Mid-Autumn, the quality of the students there would have been the highest.
Of course, even without many formal poetry gatherings, literati still had numerous banquets to attend, exchanging their best works from the New Year. Some students from Lichuan would also come to participate in these banquets, eager to showcase their poems and compete for attention. Ultimately, the evening was primarily filled with the joyous spirit of the New Year.
As night fell and the vibrant festivities continued, the bell tolled at the Hour of the Pig (9 PM). Ning Yi was enjoying glutinous rice balls with Xiao Chan at a food stall near Zhuque Street, surrounded by lanterns adorned with riddles that lit up the entire marketplace as bright as day.
That evening, Ning Yi and Su Tan'er accompanied Su Boyong to a banquet at a family friend's residence. After fulfilling the basic formalities, Su Tan'er excused herself from Ning Yi, saying the young couple would stroll along Zhuque Street. However, this was not the only reason for their departure.
Several of Su Tan'er's managers were discussing business at the nearby Mingxiu Building, and she was anxious about the outcome. After a brief stroll, she settled down at a small teahouse opposite Mingxiu, listening to the opera being performed while waiting for the results. After listening for a while, they were approached by a young manager named Xi Junyu, who came to report the preliminary outcome. Ning Yi then got up to explore the area.
"Let's wander around Zhuque Street and see what delicious snacks we can try," he suggested.
"Make sure to bring something back for me too," she replied with a sweet smile. Xiao Chan followed them downstairs and glanced back; Su Tan'er had already shifted to a calm demeanor, chatting with the young manager. Ning Yi had encountered this Xi manager a few times and noted that he was ambitious and capable, though still lacking in restraint. This reminded Ning Yi of his own youth when he had met many such young people—friends and rivals alike. Ironically, he thought of Tang Mingyuan, who had always been indecisive, trailing behind him.
Soon after, he and Xiao Chan explored the food stalls along Zhuque Street. Snow still lined the sides of the road, and a breeze came from the Qinhuai River, though it was not cold. The entire street was filled with a lively atmosphere—dragon and lion dances, lantern fairs, and the warmth rising from the vendors' stoves. Xiao Chan, unable to eat much, bought a small lantern featuring a cat design, with the character "王" (Wang) drawn on its forehead, so they playfully imagined it as a tiger.
"Master, how do you solve the riddle for the candied yellow bitter?" she asked.
"Could it be 'sharing both joys and sorrows'?" he suggested.
"Master, what about 'the yellow silk young wife, grandson's grinder'?"
"Ah, that's a tough one. It was the question Cao Cao asked Yang Xiu, and the answer is 'excellent phrasing.'"
"Master, here's a really hard one: 'one shape, one body, four legs and eight heads. One eight five eight, the flying spring flows upward... What is this?'"
"...How would I know?"
"So Master doesn't know either…"
"Did you check if you got the first two right? Did you ask?"
"Whatever Master says is correct."
"...Come eat some glutinous rice balls... After you finish, I'll tell you it's a character for a well(井)."
"Oh, so it's the character for a well(井)."
Xiao Chan couldn't really be upset; after eating a few glutinous rice balls, she moved on to the next stall, where the five-spice beans were her favorite. She bought half a porcelain cup and savored them slowly, her small lantern swaying back and forth. After a moment, she absentmindedly said, "Miss is actually very tired."
"Hmm?"
"Earlier... when Miss was at the teahouse and you were about to leave, you knew a lot of things, right?"
Her little face appeared quite serious. Ning Yi thought for a moment and nodded with a smile. "If things can't be settled over there, ultimately, it's your Miss who has to make the decision. I'm not really much help; sometimes, I might even make things worse."
"Indeed, you know everything, Master..." Xiao Chan nodded. She glanced at Ning Yi, hesitating to speak, but eventually said, "Why doesn't Master help Miss?"
"Your Miss is quite capable; there's no need to worry."
Xiao Chan considered this, then smiled again. "Miss has been very happy lately."
"Hmm?"
"Because of you, Master. Miss rarely talks so much with others... Well, she does talk, but not about business. She's so happy when you tell stories or play chess... So I think if you're willing to help Miss, she would definitely be even happier. You know, Miss... after all, she's just like me, a girl. When going out to do business, people always talk behind her back. She may not say it, but I'm sure she has a lot on her mind…"
Xiao Chan genuinely cared for Su Tan'er and mustered a lot of courage to say this, afraid she might overstep her bounds as a maid and make Ning Yi unhappy. She glanced at him anxiously, but the response she received was Ning Yi playfully pinching her cheek, making her face flatten like a pancake.
"How old were you when you entered the Su residence?" he asked.
"Six years old," Xiao Chan hesitated for a moment before mumbling and gesturing with her hands. Once Ning Yi let go of her cheek and turned to walk ahead, she hurried to catch up and added, "I was sold in when I was four."
"Four? That's so young…"
"Juan'er was also young; Xing'er is a year older than us. She was five at the time. Miss was eight then." Xiao Chan spoke openly about this, her smile a bit sweeter. "I was too little back then. The man didn't want me, but luckily, the Su residence needed a few young girls, so I got chosen. Originally, my family wanted to sell my brother."
"Odd, I haven't heard you mention your family before."
"Once I was sold to the Su residence, I became one of them; how could I keep mentioning my family?" Xiao Chan looked down, thinking for a moment. "Actually, I don't remember much from when I was a child, just that I was hungry. I heard I had a brother who was born but died shortly after from hunger. My family was planning to sell my brother, who could do some work, but they ended up selling me instead. They got thirty-five taels of silver for me after twenty-five years. Honestly, being with Miss is a lucky thing; it's not something you can count in years. Now I send ten taels of silver home each year. My brother married last year and wrote to tell me he married the prettiest girl from the neighboring village, but his handwriting is terrible... Well, I went back to visit them last year, and I'll be able to see my sister-in-law again in March this year…"
Many things were commonplace in today's society, and Xiao Chan didn't seem too sad as she recounted her story. Eventually, she grew cheerful again but felt a bit guilty and pressed her lips together, saying, "Master…"
Ning Yi smiled and replied, "So, Tan'er is like your sister, right?"
"Mm." The little girl nodded eagerly but then shook her head. "Xiao Chan is just a maid; I don't dare to think like that."
"But she often talks to you about business matters and discusses them with those managers. If I were to help her, wouldn't that just be another reason for me to get involved in business?"
"But... but you are different, Master…"
"Ha, don't think too much. The reason your Miss can talk to me is precisely because I don't understand this world; I'm not in business. If I could really help, it would mean turning it into a business discussion." Although he pretended to be simple in front of Su Tan'er, Ning Yi didn't mind Xiao Chan's clever intentions. It was only natural for her to think of her Miss. At that moment, they walked through the crowd, and Ning Yi smiled. "Your Miss is far more capable than you think. If she weren't so capable, it wouldn't matter whether I helped her or not; it would be best for her to give up early. Although I'm happy you think I'm impressive, don't... uh…"
Ning Yi's words trailed off as he heard Xiao Chan say, "Master is truly impressive." Under the bright lanterns, Ning Yi frowned slightly, glancing at his left hand, which had a streak of crimson, sticky and not yet dry—blood.
Where did that come from...?
In confusion, he turned to look back. The marketplace was ablaze with lights, bustling with crowds and the sounds of revelry. At the end of Zhuque Street, a yellow dragon danced in time with the sound of drums, blending into the lively Lantern Festival scene. Amidst the festivities, a few officials appeared, seemingly searching for something.
In the next moment, a sudden burst of blood splattered forth...