“When can I leave?” Shen Miao asked.
“There are people outside. If they see us going out together, they’ll inevitably gossip.” Xie Jingxing’s words were still teasing. “So for the sake of my innocence, when the ship docks, I’ll bring you to the princess mansion and let the people from the princess mansion send you back.”
Shen Miao was slightly stunned. “Princess Mansion?”
“Princess Rong Xin.” Xie Jingxing fiddled with the charcoal. “She will help.”
Princess Rong Xin was also born to the late emperor’s concubine. Although she was not as favored as Princess Yuqing, she was also deeply liked by the late emperor. Among the children of the late emperor, Princess Yuqing and Princess Rong Xin were close sisters. Princess Yuqing married the Marquis of Lin’an, and Princess Rong Xin married the top scholar of the dynasty. Unfortunately, the top scholar died of illness a few years later. Princess Rong Xin did not remarry and moved back to the princess mansion. She had been alone for many years.
With Princess Yuqing and Princess Rong Xin’s relationship, she would probably help Xie Jingxing.
Shen Miao looked up at Xie Jingxing. He was thinking ahead. If he got the Shen family to come over at this moment, they would inevitably overthink when they saw the two of them staying alone in a disheveled state. With the relationship between the Shen family and the Xie family, who knew if it would cause the situation to worsen? It was not a bad idea to get Princess Rong Xin to offer help.
The sound of fireworks came from above. Shen Miao was leaning against the window of the boat. When she heard the sound, she looked out of the window. In the night sky of the capital, there were colorful fireworks. Just as Bai Lu and Shuang Jiang said, the fireworks would not stop for the night. As opposed to watching the fireworks in the crowded street, watching the fireworks on a boat in the middle of the lake felt totally different.
“You like to see these?” Xie Jingxing raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t,” Shen Miao replied honestly.
At the annual banquet of the Ming Qi Royal Family, the emperor and his concubines would enjoy fireworks together in the royal garden. At that time, after she returned from the State of Qin, Consort Mei successfully won the emperor’s heart. On the night of the annual banquet, Consort Mei drank wine and had fun with Fu Xiuyi in the royal garden while Shen Miao sat in the Kunning Palace, accompanied only by Wanyu and Fu Ming, and watched the fireworks burn and disappear alone. That was the coldest fireworks she had ever seen in her life. From then on, she no longer liked these things.
“What’s there to see about something so short-lived. It’s beautiful but useless.” Her tone was a little angry, but her eyes betrayed sadness.
Xie Jingxing looked at her with interest. After thinking for a moment, he stood up and took out something from the cabinet. He walked to Shen Miao’s side and handed the thing in his hand to her.
“I don’t know how long we’ll have to wait for the boat to dock. Since it’s the Jade Rabbit Festival today, make a lantern,” Xie Jingxing said.
Shen Miao looked at the lantern in her hand. It was probably left behind by the people who previously stayed on the boat. The candles had not been placed in it yet, and it was folded neatly. Looking out of the window, the lake was overflowing with lanterns. Their boat shuttled through the dazzling light like a ferry in the Milky Way.
Without waiting for Shen Miao to answer, Xie Jingxing made one himself. After making the lantern, he casually set it free on the lake, Shen Miao asked, “Why didn’t you write a note?”
A note written with wishes had to be placed in the lantern by the person who lit it. This way, the gods could hear the prayers and bless them in the following year.
“I don’t believe in God.” Xie Jingxing said lazily, “It’s fine if I don’t write it.”
Shen Miao thought for a moment and thought that it was only natural for someone as wild and devil-may-care as Xie Jingxing to not believe in God. She unfolded two lanterns, but she didn’t write a note or put a candle in them. Instead, she lit them with a matchstick and placed them in the lake.
