From early morning onward, Ren Baqian directed the two winged cavalry warriors to paste Spring Festival couplets and the character for "good fortune." Meanwhile, the empress looked on animatedly from behind.
"Move a bit to the left… to the left… Do you know which way is left…?"
"Zixiao, what do you think?" Ren Baqian turned to the empress.
"Heaven adds another year of time, and people add another year of life. Spring comes to the world, bringing best wishes to the family… A very good poem! What are the following two lines?" The empress recited the couplets on both sides of the door and gasped in admiration.
"There's nothing that follows."
"Oh, eunuch!" the empress said with a tinge of regret.
Ren Baqian felt like laughing, but refrained from doing so because there was an 80 percent chance of getting whacked.
